SUPPORT FOR THE CONFEDERATE FLAG: AN ANALYSIS | BY: NASH SMITH
May 12, 2020
The Confederate flag is undoubtedly a controversial symbol in America. Some point out that the flag has historical roots in a past of racism and oppression, and that it is still used by hate groups in the modern day. Others argue that the flag is a symbol of historical heritage. In this article I will take a look at both of these points. It is my goal to use data gathered in multiple studies to explore the reasons why the confederate flag is still used and supported by southern Americans in the modern day, when many view it as such a malicious symbol.
First, I must clarify our terms. When referring to the “Confederate flag”, I am referring to the Confederate battle flag. This flag is based on the “St. Andrew’s Cross” design, and is distinct from the “Stars and Bars” flag that was the initial, official flag of the Confederacy. This flag and its design are what most people think of when they think of the “Confederate Flag”, even though it was never the official flag of the Confederacy. The flag became a popular symbol in the post-Reconstruction Era in the south. In this period, the United States government allowed the south to re-enter the union and helped to rebuild it. They also allowed southern states to craft laws and practices that allowed southerners to retain much of their historical racial dominance over the now-former slaves. These practices included predatory sharecropping and Jim Crow laws that enforces racial segregation. The also saw increased use during the 1950s and 1960s, which are usually associated with the Civil Rights Movement and the integration of public schools. For example, Alabama Governor George Wallace ordered the Confederate flag to be raised over the state capitol on April 25th, 1963 when Attorney General Robert Kennedy confronted Wallace in the state capitol over the matter of integration, harkening back to the reconstruction era when the flag was associated with a symbol of southern white dominance (Thornton, 1996). It is also worth noting that many current attitudes about the Confederate flag are driven by the removal of the flag from many government or public sites in the southern United States. This movement was spurred on after a 2015 mass shooting when a white supremacist murdered nine African Americans and injured several more. The flag was associated with the shooter as he had posted images associated with white supremacy, including the Confederate flag. Now that we understand our terms and history, we can look at what the flag means to its modern supporters.
In a 2006 paper, researcher Christopher Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts summarize past scholarly findings about attitudes toward the Confederate flag. They claim that conservative racial attitudes, low education levels, and conservative political ideologies are important predictors for support of the flag. Age and sex/gender studies have had mixed results, and whether or not someone was born in the south makes little difference in their support for the flag. Their findings and survey are best summarized by the following quote; “White southerners are more likely to support the flag than white non southerners, while black southerners are less likely to support the flag than black non southerners.” This suggests that the proximity to the region affected by the issue also impacts attitudes towards support of the flag. However, race also plays a significant role in the matter. The authors of the paper suggest that whites in the south have more of a connection to the “heritage” angle, and thus are more likely to support the flag. Blacks in the south however are more proximal to what they perceive as racial danger, and thus are not likely to support the flag (Cooper, 2006).
The issue that makes the Confederate flag such a hotly debated icon is race. The primary argument against the flag is that it is either a historical symbol of racial prejudice or that it masks hidden racist intention. A 2016 survey and paper by Joshua Wright and Victoria Esses argues otherwise. In the survey, participants were asked questions that revealed to the researchers several facets of their personal beliefs. These three facets were political ideology, racial attitudes and southern pride. The findings of the survey revealed four clusters of data which represent four different groups with differing attitudes toward the three facets of their personal beliefs. These four groups are as follows: Supremacists are those who showed strong southern pride, conservative values, and blatant racial prejudice. They held the strongest feelings of support for the flag. Next in support for the flag were the Traditionalists, who had strong conservative values and southern pride, but no blatant racial prejudice. Next were the New Southerners who showed strong southern pride, more liberal values, but positive interracial attitudes. Finally, were the Cosmopolitans who showed the least support for the flag, and had liberal values, positive racial attitudes, and little southern pride. Ultimately, the papers findings were that support for the flag could increase without support for racism. This can be seen in the Cosmopolitans, New Southerners, and Traditionalists. None of these groups reported negative racial attitudes, yet reported increasing southern pride in each respective group. In this context, “Southern Pride” can be seen as something akin to patriotism, which is support for one’s group, without the need for domination over other groups. On the other hand, negative racial attitudes do seem to increase support for the flag, as it is the only independent factor that separates the Supremacists from the other groups. Additionally, strong conservative values are also a strong predictor for support for the flag’s usage. However, the primary finding of the paper is that support for the flag is not necessarily associated with some sort of masked racism, and because most of the survey’s participants held neutral or positive interracial attitudes, most supporters of the flag cannot be linked to racial prejudice. (Wright, 2016).
(Figure 1. Diagram by Wright, 2016).
After reviewing these studies, we should reflect on our initial question. Why do people support the confederate flag? These studies provide answers that do not land solely on one side of the argument or the other. Both studies show that negative racial attitudes are correlated with increased support of the Confederate flag. On the other hand, region and southern pride akin to patriotism are also independent factors that raise support for the Confederacy. These findings ultimately tell us a few things-- not all supporters of the Confederate flag hold negative racial attitudes about different races than their own. However, some supporters of the flag do. In fact, some of the most ardent supporters of the flag are white supremacists. It is beyond the scope of this paper to determine whether or not the continued use of the Confederate flag in the modern day is ethical due to its use by white supremacist groups. However, it is my hope that through this paper I have put forth a greater understanding of the multiple facets that contribute to support for the Confederate flag’s continued use in the modern day.