Why is the confederate flag so constroversial?

Answer 1

Much of the controversy comes from misunderstandings. First, what flag do they have issues with? Most people when asked what the "Confederate Flag" looks like would point to a red banner with a blue cross corner to corner with 13 stars in the cross. Some people even refer to this flag as the "stars and bars" because it has white stars on blue bars. Both of those beliefs are FALSE!

The flag that most people think of as the "Confederate Flag" is the Confederate Navy Jack (rectangular flag) or the Confederate Cavalry or Artillery flag (square flag). There were three (3) official flags of the Confederate States of America and this flag was NOT one of them. The Confederate Stars and Bars (first flag of the Confederate States of America) looks nothing like the Confederate Navy Jack or Cavalry flags. Take a look at Georgia's state flag. Except for the state seal in the circle of 13 stars, that is the first flag of the Confederacy, the "Stars and Bars."

The second point: Some will say that the "Confederate Flag" stands for slavery or racism. Others will say that the "Confederate Flag" stands for rebels and "red necks." The association of the "Confederate Flag" with controversy may have begun with "white supremacy" movements of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) founded in the Southern States in 1865 by Confederate veterans.