The Long Retreat of Confederate Heritage

Update: Feel free to send me suggestions on what is missing from this list and I will go ahead and add it.

I found this detailed timeline at a website called The Confederate Society of America. It is difficult to tell whether it is comprehensive, but it certainly will give you a sense of the scope of and pace at which Confederate iconography has been removed from public and private spaces around the country. This timeline was compiled by Dr. Arnold M. Huskins for an article titled, “The Eradication of a Region’s Cultural and Heritage.”

1970‘s: The Univ. of Georgia’s “Dixie Redcoat Marching Band” drops the word “Dixie” from its name and discontinues playing the song which was played after the National Anthem; City of Atlanta, GA renames Forrest Street; University of Texas-Arlington drops its Rebel mascot

1990: NBNC-Texas asks Texas State Fair to discontinue the playing of Elvis Presley’s American Trilogy because of its “Dixie” content

1991: City of Atlanta renames street named after Confederate Gen. John B. Gordon; NAACP passes resolution “abhorring the Confederate battle flag” and commits their legal resources to removal of the flag from all public properties

1993: Governor Guy Hunt removes battle flag from Alabama State Capitol, it had flown there since Democratic Gov. George Wallace placed it underneath the state flag atop the dome upon Attorney Gen. Robert Kennedy’s visit in 1963; Senate votes not to renew patent on the United Daughters of the Confederacy logo; New Orleans ISD renames Jefferson Davis Elementary, PGT Beauregard Jr. High School, Robert E. Lee Elementary School, JP Benjamin School, and George Washington Elementary School (yes, that’s right, George Washington!)

1994: February – Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority votes to remove the Georgia state flag from the Fulton County Stadium

June – Holiday Inn Inc. orders its hotels in Georgia not to fly the state flag with the battle flag emblem

July – NAACP calls for economic boycott of South Carolina for flying battle flag from its State House; Mayor Bob Coble of Columbia, SC sues to remove Confederate flag from SC State House

September – The University of the South removes all Southern state flags from its chapel.

October – Dixie Youth Baseball drops the battle flag emblem from its logo.

November – Louisiana State Museum removes newly found prototype of original Confederate battle flag from display after receiving complaints.

1995: January – First person killed: A 19-year-old father of twins, Michael Westerman, of Elkton, KY is chased down and murdered for flying a Confederate flag on his truck.

February – City of Cumberland, MD removes battle flag from its historic flag display

April – Jamie Kinley is suspended from his middle school in Anderson, SC for wearing a Confederate battle flag jacket.

1996: September – Louisiana Senate Secretary remove a battle flag from Memorial Hall; Cracker Barrel chooses to omit the Confederate flag from a set of bookends featuring Gen. Lee (without a flag) and Gen. Grant holding a US flag.

1997: The University of the South’s mace, featuring Confederate symbols, is permanently retired.

February – State of New York removes the Georgia state flag from its capitol building.

November – Univ. of Miss. bans all stick flags, namely Confederate battle flags, from its stadium.

December – Texas A& M bans the Confederate flag in its ROTC Corps, equates it with Nazi flag.

1998: The VA discontinues flying the battle flag daily over the 3,300 graves at the Confederate POW cemetery at Point Lookout, MD.

2000: February – City of Pensacola, Fla. removes battle flag from its Five Flags Display, replaces it with Stars and Bars; L. M. Clairborne, Jr. head of the Mississippi Highway Patrol, orders all unauthorized emblems including images of the state flag to be removed from its vehicles.

April – City of Jackson, Miss. votes to remove the state flag from its meetings and municipal buildings; The president of the Citadel bans the playing of “Dixie” by the band at the school.

May – City of Biloxi removes battle flag from its historic flag display, replaces it with Stars and Bars; Texas A&M official, Herbert Richardson, removes an official portrait of former Chancellor Gilbert Gilchrist from the lobby of the Gilchrist building because the portrait contains an image of Gen. Robert E. Lee in the background. The painting is moved to a conference room with a note explaining why Lee is in the painting and a new painting of Gilchrist (sans Lee) is placed in the lobby; the president of the Virginia Military Institute punishes two cadets during a New Market Day event for playing a few bars of “Dixie.”

July – The first removal of a Confederate memorial: Governor and Presidential hopeful George W. Bush removes two plaques featuring a battle flag and a seal of the CSA from the Texas Supreme Court Building honoring Texas Confederate veterans, Confederate pension money was used to build the edifice. He also refuses to issue a Confederate History and Heritage Month proclamation; the state of South Carolina removes the battle flag from the State House which had flown beneath the state flag since 1961 when Democratic Gov. Hollings placed it there to commemorate the firing on Fort Sumter during the Civil War Centennial; the battle flag is removed from the legislative chamber as well.

September – Matthew Dixon, an SCV member and mechanic, is fired from his position at Coburg Dairy in Charleston, SC for refusing to remove two Confederate flag stickers from his personal tool box after a black co-worker complained to company officials. Dixon took his case
believing his First Amendment rights and state employment laws were violated.; three Federal judges ruled against him in May 2003.

October – Two employees at the John Deere facility in Pontiac, SC are fired—one for having a small battle flag on his tool box and the other for whistling “Dixie.”

2001: January – The Georgia Legislature votes to change the state flag which included the Army of Northern Virginia’s Confederate battle flag which was placed on the flag in 1956 to honor Confederate veterans. The new flag is not popular and it is changed in 2003. The NCAA announces a ban on tournament games in SC because of its memorial flag on the State House grounds.

March – Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush removes all historic flags, including the battle flag, from an historic flag display on the state Capitol grounds; the city of Madison, Wisconsin prohibits the flying of the Confederate battle flag, which was flown twice a year over a Confederate cemetery in the city.

September – Andrew Jackson Council of the Boy Scouts of America representing 22 Mississippi counties remove a uniform patch that contains the Mississippi state flag; Ryan Oleichi, an 11 year old boy attending Labay Middle School near Houston, Texas is physically assaulted, knocked unconscious and threatened with death by a black and Hispanic student and is hospitalized for three days. Prior to the incident, Oleichi wore a shirt with a Confederate battle flag patch and was suspended for three days and forced to apologize and admit his racism by the assistant principal. The School fails to discipline his attackers.

October – A Harley-Davidson employee in York, Pa. who was sent to the company’s Human Relations Office twice for wearing Confederate flag on his t-shirt and having a Confederate flag on his motorcycle helmet is again sent to HR for wearing his Confederate re-enactor uniform to work on Halloween, which he had done since 1995. This time, he is suspended from work for three days without pay; Hays High School officials ban several fans carrying the Texas and Confederate flags from entering its stadium.

November – Comedian Dennis Miller compares battle flag to swastika on The Tonight Show; SCV member, Tim Meadows, is arrested for carrying a Confederate battle flag in the Mobile Veterans Day parade Matt Pitts, a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, returns to his dorm room and finds it had been vandalized and his Confederate flag torn to shreds; an 18 year old Illinois native is later charged with throwing a TV out the window and shredding the flag; Seminole County, Georgia School Board bans students from wearing clothing with the Confederate flag; a portrait of Jefferson Davis is removed from the Davis residence hall at Transylvania University in Kentucky and rehung in the Mitchell Fine Arts building.

2002: January – The Confederate Air Force changes its name to “Commemorative Air Force;” Louisville, KY renames street known as “Confederate Place” to “Unity Place;” Va. Gov. Mike Warner advises Lt. Gov. John Hager not to attend ceremony honoring Gens. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Hager, who agreed to speak one year ago, complies.

March – College student arrested for burning Georgia state flag at private residence in Augusta; Univ. of Mississippi begins to phase out the playing of “Dixie;” Autauga County, Alabama School board removes Confederate memorial monument from school grounds erected by the local SCV who had gotten permission to place the monument by the School Superintendent.

April – “Wings over Dixie” Air Show in Peachtree City, Ga. changes name to Greater Georgia Air Show; Jefferson Davis monument vandalized in Richmond, Va.; Alabama pre med student assaulted for wearing shirt with Confederate battle flag and the words “Dixieland” in Gulf Shores, Ala.; Confederate memorial flag on SC State House grounds intentionally burned; pre-med student, John McDow, is assaulted by blacks in Gulf Shores Ala. for wearing a shirt with a Confederate flag on it.

May – Neosho (Mo.) School District tries to paint over a pavement painting of a Confederate flag that was painted by the students on Senior Hill; the students stage a “sit in” to guard the painting; Univ. of Vermont Interim President asks students to refrain from hanging Confederate flags in their dorm windows.

June -Federal attorney, John Austin, attempts to stop a Confederate Memorial Day service in Knoxville, Tenn; his wife accuses attendees of using racial slurs.

August – Mobile Tricentennial Commission tells visiting tall ship to remove battle flag from its mast; the crew complies, however the captain, who was away when the flag is lowered, is angered and considers leaving the city; Aycock Middle School in Greensboro NC bans a essay contest sponsored by the UDC, states: UDC is “against basic goals of Aycock Middle School”

September – Vanderbilt Univ. announces plans to remove the word “Confederate” from dormitory hall funded by the UDC; McIntosh Middle School in Sarasota, Fla. bans Confederate flag clothing; sixteen students are suspended in Lawrence County, Ala. for wearing Confederate flag clothing; ten students in Lee County, Ala. are suspended for wearing Confederate flag clothing

October – Mississippi DMV omits state flag from its newly issued US veterans license plate; Florida man fired from 1 ½ day job with Mortgage Investors Corp. for having Confederate battle flag tattoo and the words “born a rebel, die a rebel” on forearm

December – Jefferson Davis statue in New Orleans vandalized; Bel-Air Mall in Mobile, Ala. boots Camo Unlimited from the mall after receiving complaints about its merchandising of Confederate flags and Southern heritage T-shirts; cartoonist Scott Stantis of the Birmingham News draws a trash can containing symbols of oppressive regimes, one of which is a Confederate battle flag

2003: January The state of Missouri removes two Confederate battle flags at two state historic sites: Confederate Memorial Historic Site near Higginsville and Fort Davidson Historic Site after Rep. Dick Gephardt called for their removal. The flag at Higginsville flew over a Confederate cemetery containing the graves of 694 veterans; the city of Clarksdale, Miss. votes to remove state flag from all city property; the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announces it will change its name to the “USA South Athletic Conference” to show “sensitivity to ethnic groups and just making sure that the name is not offensive to anyone.”

February – The Town Council of Exmouth, England, scuttles plans for a ceremony to honor Gen. Collett Leventhorpe, an English General who fought in the Confederate Army, because the observance might be seen to have “racist undertones;” in an official directive (section 13.02 of its Advertising Standards), BellSouth states “Cuts of ALL Confederate flags are PROHIBITED from appearing in Yellow Pages advertising.”

May – Conference planners for a group of judges and court officials from Washington, DC mandate that the hotel staff of the Fort Magruder Hotel and Conference Center in Williamsburg, Va. remove or cover all images of the Confederate flag in WBTS battle scenes prints at the hotel. As a result, two images were covered and two images were removed. Conference planners feared the images might be offensive to some of the attendees.

November – The Robert E. Lee Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Richmond, Va. decides to drop the name of Robert E. Lee, which it had borne for over 60 years, from its council and its logo.

2004: May -Chickasaw County Miss. supervisors reverse their decision to allow the SCV to erect a Confederate memorial monument on the courthouse lawn and vote to allow a referendum on the issue; a Kentucky student is denied entrance into her high school prom because of her Confederate flag dress

July – Gettysburg College (PA) sponsors “a hanging of a Confederate flag.”

September – Augusta, Georgia Mayor Bob Young removes Second National Confederate Flag from historic flag display along the Riverwalk display.

November – Robb Gray, director of Oklahoma’s Tourism and Recreation Dept, orders 200,000 copies of their Annual Events Guide destroyed after finding that it featured a photo of a reenactment group with a Confederate flag, his action costs taxpayers $46,000.

2005: March – Charlotte NC removes memorial battle flag and flag pole over Confederate graves in city Cemetery; City of Ringgold, Ga. removes battle flag from memorial after NAACP requests its removal and replaces it with Hardee Corps flag.

June – Palm Springs ISD renames Jefferson Davis Middle School in Jupiter, FL; Portsmouth, VA Confederate Memorial Monument vandalized

December – Savannah Mayor removes portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee and a mayor who was a Confederate officer from City Hall.

2009: February – South High School in Denver, CO changes its Rebel mascot to a griffin, previously it had changed its yearbook and newspaper names’ from “The Johnny Reb” and “The Confederate” respectively.

March – Dixie State University retires Rebel mascot and the name “Rebels.”

August – Jonesborough, Tenn. refuses to allow bricks inscribed with the names and units of Confederate veterans in the veterans’ memorial park.

October – Homestead, Fla Veterans Day parade bans battle flag

2010: March – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ignores request for Confederate History and Heritage Month Proclamation.

April – Two Confederate cemeteries vandalized, one in Ala, the other in Miss.; Abilene Baptist Church in Carrolton, Ga. removes and disposes of Confederate battle flags placed on veterans’ graves in its church cemetery.

May -Flags stolen, ropes cut from poles at Confederate cemetery at Brice’s Crossroads Cemetery.

June -Movie theatre in Spotsylvania County, Va. alters War Between the States mural to remove a Confederate battle flag after complaints; potential recruits for US Marine Corps must acquire a waiver if they have Confederate flag tattoos.

October -Univ. of Mississippi discontinues “Col Reb” mascot, eventually choosing Rebel Black Bear as its mascot; Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announces he will no longer issue a Confederate History and Heritage Month proclamation.

November – Confederate memorial monument in Augusta, Ga. Vandalized.

December – History Channel forces local cable companies to remove Georgia Division SCV historical spots.

2011: January – City of Marshall, Ark. votes to prohibit flying of Confederate flag on public property.

May – Confederate statues of Lee and Davis vandalized in Richmond, VA; Memphis VA Medical Center removes paralyzed veteran’s small battle flag from wall and forces him to place it in a drawer; the veteran, a descendant of Confederate soldiers, almost cried when he told it must be removed; City of Reidsville, NC decides not to restore Confederate memorial monument destroyed when a van “accidentally” the statue, NC; UDC decides to move memorial to a local cemetery.

August – NC man fired from Forest City Housing Authority after displaying SCV logo on his vehicle.

September – Lexington, VA bans the flying of First National and Second National Confederate flags on light poles during celebration of Lee/Jackson Day; battle flag sign removed Confederate Powder Works Chimney in Augusta, Ga.

November – Missouri State Univ. President apologizes after its Pride Band plays Dixie during dedication of a new park on campus, states it will not happen again; Third National flag and flagpole removed from Confederate Memorial in Caddo Parish, La.; it had flown there since 1951; Texas DMV votes to prohibit SCV license plates with SCV battle flag logo.

2012: February -A Missouri students is penalized for flying Confederate flag on his vehicle on his high school Campus; a Minnesota student is suspended for failing to cover a battle flag tattoo blending in with a US flag on his tricep.

March – NASCAR prohibits golf pro Bubba Watson from taking the initial lap in his “General Lee” car at the beginning of Sprint Cup series at Phoenix International Speedway; Statue of Lt Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest south of Nashville, Tenn. Vandalized; Lee and Davis monuments vandalized in New Orleans; vandals steal bust of Gen. NB Forrest from memorial monument in Selma, Ala. Cemetery.

April – Recently dedicated Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox refuses to fly any Confederate flag on its grounds; a Tennessee student is denied entrance into her high school prom because of her Confederate flag dress.

May -SC Gov. Nicki Haley refuses to issue Confederate History and Heritage Month proclamation; City of Paducah, KY officials condemn flying of the battle flag in a nearby privately owned Confederate memorial park.

July – Las Cruces, NM Tea Party denied $1000 first prize after its historically themed float includes a Confederate battle flag in a 4th of July parade.

September – Confederate POW cemetery’s privately-owned Confederate Memorial Park at Point Lookout, MD is vandalized, a noose is placed around the statue’s neck and a swastika is spray painted on the base of the memorial.

October – Hays High School in Buda, Texas ceases playing of Dixie at football games.

2013: February – City of Memphis removes marker from Forrest Park, renames its three parks with Confederate names—Forrest Park, Jefferson Davis Park, and Confederate Park.

March: Gov. Pat McCrory authorizes removal of ANV battle flag from historic display in NC’s Old Capitol Museum; City of Orange, Texas condemns the building of the “Confederate Memorial of the Wind” to be located on private property.

May – City of Jacksonville, Texas prevents Marine Corps League from placing Confederate flags on Confederate veterans’ graves; two Confederate flags removed from historic flag display in South Dakota VA Hospital.

September – Memphis’ Gen. Forrest statue vandalized.

December – Knoxville, Tenn. American Legion Post denies SCV to march in Veterans Days Parade; Museum of the Confederacy merges with Richmond’s politically correct Civil War Center.

2014: January – Jacksonville (Fla.) ISD renames Nathan B. Forrest High School.

February – Hero Dogs Inc. rejects donation from Maryland Division, SCV.

May – California passes law to ban governmental sales or display of Confederate flags.

July – Washington and Lee University removes battle flags surrounding statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in its Lee Chapel, the tomb of Gen. Lee.

August – Univ. of Miss. announces plans to rename Confederate Drive, install plaques to explain Confederate Memorial and limits the use of the term, “Ole Miss.”

2015: January – Dixie State University removes Confederate statue, “The Rebels—depicting two cavalrymen—from campus.

February – Blue Ridge Assembly YMCA in Asheville votes to change name of Robert E. Lee Hall to Eureka Hall.

April – The state of Florida refuses to include three prominent Floridians who served in the Confederate Army in its Veterans Hall of Fame; St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay forms task force to consider removal of Confederate memorial monument in Forest Park, seeks to rename Confederate Drive to Freedom or Unity Drive.

June – Tragedy in Charleston, SC prompts removal of all things Confederate: SCOTUS rules against Sons of Confederate Veterans stating license plates are government property and can regulate its content; “Dukes of Hazzard” program is removed from TV Land’s lineup; Miami, Fla car museum covers roof of Gen. Lee car on display; Alabama Gov. Bentley removes all four Confederate flags from monument on State Capitol; SC Gov. Haley signs bill to remove Confederate memorial battle flag from State House grounds, flag removed on July 10th; Univ. of Texas removes Confederate memorial from campus; City of Mobile removes all its historic flags from its city seal; Hillsborough County, Fla removes its historic flag display from the government center; Wichita, KS removes battle flag from Veterans’ memorial park; Cities of Columbus, Starkville, Hattiesburg, Magnolia and Grenada, MS remove state flag from city property, Natchez, Philadelphia and Vicksburg will eventually do the same; Virginia and Maryland discontinue their Sons of Confederate Veterans license plate program; National Park Service removes all historic flags from Fort Sumter, discontinues sales of battle flags in its stores; NPS later reinstates Ft. Sumter’s historic flags on smaller poles; National Cathedral in Washington, DC removes Confederate flag imagery from its memorial reconciliation windows; Amazon, eBay, Wal-Mart, Sears, & Target discontinues sale of any items featuring Confederate Battle flag including already pre-ordered class rings; Flag companies Anin, Valley Forge, and Dixie Flag in San Antonio discontinue sale of battle Flag; Confederate monuments vandalized in Austin, Texas, Asheville, NC, Charleston, SC, Baltimore, MD, Columbia, SC, Richmond, Va. and St. Louis; Nashville restaurant, Acme Feed & Seed, removes Confederate flag artwork; Kentucky State Fair Board bans sales of Confederate flags, merchandise at state fair, flea market.

July – Black Confederate flag supporter, Anthony Hervey, killed in a suspicious automobile “accident,” his car had been followed by a car containing blacks who had demonstrated against the flag and whom Hervey had angered; Confederate flag bearing horse removed from carousel in Saginaw, MI; Fort Smith (AR) ISD votes to remove Rebel mascot, end playing of “Dixie” at Southside High; Mississippi state flag removed from state flag display in Santa Ana, CA civic center; Disney removes Confederate Third National flag from its Epcot Exhibit on American history; City of Memphis vows to exhume remains of Gen. Forrest and his wife, move his statue; Monument to Women of the Confederacy vandalized in Raleigh, NC; Confederate Memorial monuments are vandalized in Charleston, Bellmead, Texas, Denton, Texas, Reidsville, NC, Rockville, MD, Cornelius, NC, Durham, NC, Richmond, Va., Oklahoma City and Charlotte, NC; Golfing Pro Bubba Watson decides to paint over the flag on the roof of his Gen. Lee automobile; Ohio State Fair bans sale of Confederate flags.

August – Univ. of Miss. states its marching band will no longer play any version of “Dixie;” VA prohibits flying of Confederate battle flag on large poles in its Confederate POW cemeteries, the flag was flown twice a year; College of William and Mary removes Confederate flag from its ceremonial silver mace and a plaque honoring students who became Confederate soldiers from its Wren Building; Univ of Texas in Austin removes statues of Pres. Woodrow Wilson and Jefferson Davis from campus grounds; Vanderbilt Univ. reimburses United Daughters of the Confederacy to allow the removal of the words, “Confederate Memorial Hall” from a campus dormitory; Bexar County, Texas officials remove all Confederate memorial plaques and monuments from Courthouse square—none of which featured an image of the battle flag; Georgia Gov. Deal renames Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee’s birthday on state calendars to “state holiday;” Confederate monuments vandalized in Memphis, Chapel Hill, NC, Albemarle, NC, Charlotte, and Pensacola, Fla.; Wisconsin and New York State Fairs ban sale of Confederate flags or any other related merchandise; portrait of General JEB Stuart removed by a judge from courtroom in the Patrick City courthouse.

September – City of Winchester removes battle flag from its city seal, replaces with Stars and Bars; Washington and Lee Univ. officials deny the SCV request to utilize Lee Chapel for Lee/Jackson Day services; City of Danville, Virginia removes Third National Confederate flag from site of last capitol of the Confederacy; City of Albuquerque removes first National Confederate flag from historic flag display; VA Hospital in Grand Junction, CO forces artist to paint over Confederate battle flag in mural depicting scenes from American history; Walton County, Fla. removes battle flag from Confederate memorial, replaces it with “Stars and Bars;” Boone Hall Plantation cancels Battle of Secessionville re-enactment.

October – University of Mississippi and Univ. of Southern Miss. discontinue flying state flag, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley, and Alcorn State have long since removed flag, Mississippi State will do so within a year; Florida Senate removes battle flag from its seal; monument to Florida’s oldest Confederate veteran removed in Crestview, Fla; Rockville, MD moves Confederate memorial monument from courthouse grounds to private property; Boone County, MO moves “Confederate Rock” veterans memorial from courthouse grounds to Centralia battlefield.

November – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, known as the “Cathedral of the Confederacy,” removes Confederate flag imagery and plaques that honor Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Confederate soldiers from their sanctuary, other plaques that feature a Confederate flag will be modified to remove the flag; City of Charlotte NC moves its Confederate memorial monument from city hall grounds to a local cemetery.

2016: January – The words” Confederate Memorial” are removed from Orange County, NC Historical Museum Doorway; Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo bans Confederate battle flag, Second & Third National flags during events; Confederate graves are vandalized in Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC; Arkansas teen prohibited from joining US Marines because of his Confederate flag tattoo with the words ” Southern Pride.”

March – Fla Legislature votes to remove the statue of Confederate Gen. Kirby Smith from Statuary Hall in Washington DC; Austin (Texas) ISD votes to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary School, San Diego (CA) ISD votes to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary School; City of Charlottesville seeks to remove statues of Gen. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and rename their respective parks; Oregon removes Mississippi state flag from state flag display; Alabama attorney removes Confederate flags from veterans’ graves in Union Springs; Confederate memorial monument vandalized in McCracken County, KY; Washington County (NY) Fair bans sale of Confederate flags, merchandise; San Lorenzo High School in California drops its UNLV “Rebel guy” mascot which was changed in the 1990’s from a “Colonel Reb” mascot with the battle flag.

April – City of Indianapolis prohibits placement of Confederate flags on the graves of Confederate soldiers buried in Crown Hill Cemetery.

May – Jefferson Davis Highway marker vandalized near Texas State University.

June – The Southern Baptist Convention passes resolution repudiating Confederate battle flag and asks its members to refrain from flying flag; Confederate flag removed from historic flag display in museum at Pennsylvania State Capitol; Douglasville, Ga renames Forrest Street.

July – Mississippi flag absent in state flag display at Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

September – City of Alexandria, VA renames section of Jefferson Davis Highway in the city; Jefferson Davis Highway marker removed from Texas State University campus; State of California bans artist and Civil War buff from displaying artwork featuring the Second National Confederate flag at the Big Fresno Fair.

August – Addison County (VT) Fair bans sale of Confederate flag merchandise.

November – City of Louisville Kentucky removes Confederate memorial monument, later the monument is moved to Brandenburg, Ky.; Long Beach (CA) ISD renames Robert E. Lee Elementary School; Florida State Senate changes its seal to remove its historic flags and removes an historic Five Flags mural from the State Capitol.

December – City of New Orleans votes to remove its three Confederate monuments; Oklahoma Baptist University removes the Confederate battle flag from one its “History and Government” stained glass window in its Raley Chapel.

2017: March – Arkansas separates holiday honoring MLK and Robert E. Lee with no state holiday for Lee.

February – Orlando (Fla.) ISD renames Robert E. Lee Middle School; South Burlington, VT high school drops Rebel mascot.

April – City of Demopolis, Ala. votes not to restore Confederate soldier statue on Confederate monument damaged by accident to original monument; Biloxi, MS mayor removes state flag from city’s municipal buildings; York County (SC) Clerk of Court removes Second National Confederate flag and portraits of Gens. Lee and Jackson from York County Courthouse; Confederate memorial monument in Brandenburg, Ky. Vandalized.

May – Mayor Landrieu of New Orleans removes the statues of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. PTG Beauregard, and Pres. Jefferson Davis from New Orleans; Confederate memorial monuments vandalized in St. Louis and in Norfolk, VA

June – Baltimore, MD mayor states city wishes to remove and sell its four Confederate statues after initially installing “interpretative plaques” at each; Orlando Fla Mayor moves Confederate Memorial from Lake Eola Park to a local cemetery; City of Gainesville, Fla votes to remove “Ol’ Joe” Confederate memorial; St. Louis, Mo removes Confederate memorial monument in Forest Park; Caddo County, La officials will discuss removal of Confederate Memorial monument; Lexington, KY to consider removal of two Confederate statues; Macomb, Miss. votes to remove state flag from all municipal buildings; The Mayor of Richmond, Va. states the city will create a commission to add context to statues on Monument Avenue

July – San Lorenzo High School in California drops its “Rebels” mascot name; Bexar County, Texas votes to replace Courthouse Confederate Memorial with plaques honoring Texas Medal of Honor recipients.

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23 comments… add one
  • Mudpup Aug 8, 2017 @ 7:27

    I don’t think the selective and subjective tales of individual violence or workplace discipline really add to the timeline. I get the sense the original authors were suggesting some kind of cause and effect relationship, but that’s silly.

    One group that has not yet changed its name, but will: Confederate Motors, a high-end motorcycle manufacturer located at the moment in Birmingham, Ala.

  • Eric A. Jacobson Aug 2, 2017 @ 16:36

    For whatever it is worth Westerman (killed in 1995) was not shot because he had a Confederate flag. As the trial showed the people who chased shot him and the guy who shot him had an altercation with Westerman at a gas station. That led to a chase down a highway. The flag was incidental, but that didn’t stop some from making him out to a Confederate martyr. I recall vividly seeing a public display in Franklin declaring he was the “last Confederate” to die in battle. Let’s just say that Franklin has changed a lot in 20 years.

    • Kevin Levin Aug 2, 2017 @ 16:57

      Thanks for the additional information.

  • Joshism Aug 2, 2017 @ 14:14

    Fairfax High School in Fairfax, VA called their sports teams the Rebels and had a mascot named Johnny Reb with a logo featuring a Confederate soldier in gray carrying a CBF.

    “Due to complaints from students and parents, and at the suggestion of the school’s Minority Achievement Task Force, the principal (Harry Holsinger) removed the Johnny Reb symbol in 1985. Student protests, rallies, and a lawsuit followed, which challenged the principal’s actions as violating the First Amendment guarantees of free speech. In Crosby v. Holsinger, 852 F.2d 801 (4th Cir. 1988), the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the federal district court decision in favor of the principal.”

    Fairfax High School was founded in 1936. The Rebels nickname had been in use since at least 1950. A short internet search didn’t indicate how long the mascot had been in use.

  • hankc9174 Aug 2, 2017 @ 11:11

    as a balance, it would be good to know when the memorials,monumnts and icons were erected.

    for example when did St. Paul’s Episcopal Church put up the Confederate flag imagery and plaques honoring Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Confederate soldiers?

    when was the Charlotte NC Confederate memorial monument erected at city hall? was it the first location?

    etc

    was memorialization a slow and steady process, did it respond to other events or something else?

  • Dave Tilley Aug 2, 2017 @ 7:02

    So, I guess in a few years, the Civil War will never have happened at all?

    • hankc9174 Aug 2, 2017 @ 11:14

      there have been a few new monuments and markers put up at Gettysburg recently.

      The history of the battle has not changed.

    • Joshism Aug 2, 2017 @ 14:09

      “So, I guess in a few years, the Civil War will never have happened at all?”

      So I guess if we tore down the Lincoln Memorial then Abraham Lincoln was never president?

      So I guess if we tore down the Vietnam Veterans Memorial the Vietnam War never happened?

  • RB Aug 1, 2017 @ 16:46

    You know, for a site that likes to tout “Civil War Memory” you sure like seeing artifacts of it, no matter how imperfect of it being destroyed or removed.

    But what can one expects when one of the main contributors here (one I’ve met in person by the way, but won’t name names because I have a semblance of respect that he doesn’t have himself) loves to subscribe to far leftist, “Platformist” ideologies.

    • Kevin Levin Aug 2, 2017 @ 1:37

      I suspect that the individual in question at least has the courage to post comments under his/her name.

    • Jimmy Dick Aug 2, 2017 @ 6:09

      Once again, an individual who can’t post under their name displays their ignorance of history and that this is really about modern identity politics.

      • Neil Hamilton Aug 2, 2017 @ 9:37

        Agreed.

  • Eric Koszyk Aug 1, 2017 @ 13:25

    A local resident in Brandenton, Florida is petitioning the local government to replace a Confederate monument with that of a local celebrity — Snooty the Manatee.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/snooty-manatee-confederate-statue_us_5976f131e4b0e201d5778e9b

  • Neil Hamilton Aug 1, 2017 @ 10:17

    Looks like the 150+ years of rear-guard actions of Confederate Heritage are taking heavy losses.

  • OM Aug 1, 2017 @ 9:17

    University of Southern Mississippi dumped their confederate mascot in the early 70’s
    http://www.southernmiss.com/trads/smis-origin-of-the-mascot.html

    • Kevin Levin Aug 1, 2017 @ 9:32

      Thank you.

  • MARYANN GERMAINE Aug 1, 2017 @ 6:32

    July 2017 – Fairfax County VA School Board votes to change name of JEB Stuart HS in Falls Church VA. http://wapo.st/2h7GUdb

    • Kevin Levin Aug 1, 2017 @ 7:01

      Thanks.

    • James Harrigan Aug 1, 2017 @ 7:57

      thanks Maryann, I’d missed that they’d finally voted on this.

      The key to this case, as in so many other examples, is how the school got its name in the firsts place. From the WaPo article:

      The board’s action marks the end of a two-year campaign to rethink the future of a school named in 1958 — amid stalled integration efforts — in honor of the Confederate cavalry officer who died of wounds suffered in battle.

      It is WAY past time to erase these explicitly white supremacist symbols.

      • MARYANN GERMAINE Aug 1, 2017 @ 19:05

        Agreed, James. Though I wish FCPS had shown more leadership and worked out a plan to change the names of all FCPS schools commemorating Confederate figures at one time, not just responding to one school community’s protest. This issue is far from resolved in Fairfax County.

  • MSB Jul 31, 2017 @ 11:09

    Interesting that Dr Huskies notes removal of at least two flags dating from 1950s. Wonder how many others date from massive resistance period?

    • Kevin Levin Jul 31, 2017 @ 12:16

      Would love to be able to fill this timeline out from that era.

  • James Harrigan Jul 31, 2017 @ 9:58

    What a cheering timeline!

    One addition: my city of Charlottesville has gone ahead and renamed two parks: Lee Park is now Emancipation Park, and Jackson Park is now Justice Park. The Lee and Jackson statues remain, for now.

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