If You Have a Problem With It, Eat It!

August 30, 2010 By Kevin Levin 3 Comments

It’s hard to believe that this ridiculous story about a Confederate flag cake is still in the news.  There are legitimate issues having to do with the public display of the Confederate flag, but this is not one of them.   It looks like Winn Dixie has taken a slight financial hit as a result.  Actually, I have no idea whether there is a correlation.  The company pulled the cake after receiving a complaint and issued a public statement that this was an “error in judgment.”

If someone had a problem with the cake what they should have done was purchase it and eat it.  In fact, interested parties could have wrapped the purchasing, eating, and digesting of the cake around all kinds of symbolism.  Oh well, another wasted opportunity.  Move on folks, there is nothing to see here.

Filed Under: Civil War Culture Tagged With:

I Guess Someone Didn’t Get the Message

July 18, 2010 By Kevin Levin 9 Comments

ACTS AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA 1958

1958 Vol. 1 — Page: 561

Sequential Number: 229

Short Title: USE OF BATTLE FLAG OF THE CONFEDERACY FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES DEPLORED.
Law Number: No. 144
Origin: (House Resolution No. 520).
Type: A Resolution.

Full Title: Relative to the battle flag of the Confederacy; and for other purposes.

Whereas, it has been brought to the attention of the General Assembly that the battle flag of the Confederacy has been and is being used for commercial purposes; and

Whereas, the battle flag of the Confederacy is a symbol of the historic past of this State, and presently forms an integral part of the flag of this State; and

Whereas, it is an insult to the memory of our dead heroes and an affront to the good taste of all true Georgians to permit this historic flag to be used for commercial purposes;

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the General Assembly of Georgia that this body does deplore the present use of replicas of the battle flag of the Confederacy for crass and commercial purposes.  Be it further resolved that this body does respectfully request all citizens of this great State to refrain from using this symbol of our past in a manner other than with the utmost respect.

Approval Date: Approved March 25, 1958.

I guess someone didn’t get the message.

Filed Under: Civil War Culture, Lost Cause, Memory Tagged With:

Does This Mean No More Talk of Black Confederates?

May 24, 2010 By Kevin Levin 89 Comments

Looks like the Sons of Confederate Veterans is amending their Constitution.  You can read the proposed amendments here, but one in particular struck me as kind of funny:

Proposed Constitutional Amendment – 2010-3
Proposed by Charles Kelly Barrow
John McIntosh Kell Camp 107

2.1. The Sons of Confederate Veterans, in furtherance of the Charge of Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee, shall be strictly patriotic, historical, educational, fraternal, benevolent, non-political, non-racial and non-sectarian. The Sons of Confederate Veterans neither embraces, nor espouses acts or ideologies of racial and religious bigotry, and further, [ strongly ] condemns the misuse of its sacred symbols and flags in the conduct of same. Each member is expected to perform his full duty as a citizen according to his own conscience and understanding.

I guess this means no more talk of thousands of loyal slaves fighting as Confederate soldiers.  And while you are browsing the SCV’s online store make sure you pick up a copy of Antebellum Slavery: An Orthodox Christian View (2008) by Gary Lee Roper which claims an orthodox Christian defense of slavery:

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Lost Cause, Slavery Tagged With: , ,

Confederate Flag 101 with Tom Clemens

May 13, 2010 By Kevin Levin 1 Comment

This short video that will help you sort through the different flags associated with the Confederate government and its armies.  Tom recently started a blog that will support the first of two edited volumes of Ezra Carman’s account of the Maryland Campaign.

Filed Under: Civil War Historians Tagged With:

“It’s A Flag Waiting For a Nation”

May 4, 2010 By Kevin Levin 18 Comments

I wonder what possessed these SCV members to bring their slaves with them to this ceremony.  I don’t really recommend sitting through all of Bob Hurst’s address.

Filed Under: Civil War Culture, Lost Cause, Memory Tagged With: , ,

Show Your Confederate Gay Pride

April 29, 2010 By Kevin Levin 29 Comments

A number of you passed along this link for the “12 Funniest Items of Confederate Flag Memorabilia.”  While I got a kick out of the Confederate flag toilet paper and “sexy, fiery Confederate flag,” I have to say that the gay pride flag t-shirt takes the cake.  Actually, the blending of a symbol that has become so closely identified with conservative white men and even bikers, along with the colors of the gay community raises a number of questions.

  • Is it possible for gay men to openly express their pride in Confederate heritage?
  • Would the discovery of an individual’s sexuality threaten their standing as a legitimate member of the Confederate heritage community?
  • Were there any gay Confederate soldiers?
  • Were there any gay Confederate officers?
  • Were there any gay Confederate politicians?
  • What was the frequency of gay sexual encounters in Confederate ranks during the war and were those parties any less Confederate?
  • Were there any gay “Christian Warriors” in Confederate ranks? Could there be a gay Christian Warrior in Confederate ranks?  [After all, status as a slaveholder doesn't seem to be a problem for some.]

A few of these questions can be answered by consulting Tom Lowry’s book, The Story the Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell: Sex in the Civil War while others are simply meant to provoke thought.

Filed Under: Civil War Culture Tagged With:

The NAACP and the Confederate Flag

January 18, 2010 By Kevin Levin 3 Comments

Thousands of Americans are expected to crowd the streets of Columbia, South Carolina today to demand the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds.  This is the 10th such rally in South Carolina.  I published this post back in 2008, but thought it might be appropriate to highlight it once again.

By now most of you are aware that the NAACP is once again pushing the state of South Carolina to remove the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds. In 2000 the flag was removed from atop the Capitol dome to a position near the Confederate Soldier Monument. First, let me say that I believe the NAACP has the right to protest a symbol that they believe to be offensive. Anyone who knows the history of that flag, especially during the era of “Massive Resistance”, must understand the perspective of African Americans. The idea that any one individual has a monopoly on the proper interpretation of such a divisive symbol is simply to fail to understand the epistemology of public symbols. I also want to say that I support the mission of the NAACP even though I do not agree with all of their programs and public positions. I say this this to preface the fact that I do not understand their decision to continue this protest in South Carolina.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Civil Rights History, Civil War Culture, Lost Cause, Memory, Southern History Tagged With: ,
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