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I firmly believe that the Confederate battle flag flying over the South Carolina capitol should be taken down. The flag symbolizes the right of states to keep an entire race of men and women in chains merely because of the color of their skin. My great-grandfather Silas fought against that flag at Gettysburg when those who carried it attempted to destroy everything many of our founders hoped for us - the continuing evolution of the phrase “all men are created equal” to include all those left out at the beginning. Against the statements of leaders like Jefferson Davis who urged his former followers to furl the rebel flag forever; proponents of the Lost Cause have used it to symbolize rebellion against the federal government. It wasn’t until South Carolina was faced with the end of segregation in the 1960’s that the flag reappeared atop the State House in Columbia as a symbol of defiance. The display of the flag by a state government is an official endorsement of something tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians died fighting against. Consequently, I believe it to be an issue for us as well as for South Carolinians and I would support federal legislation requiring its removal. |
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