In the wake of the horrific mass shooting that took place on June 17, 2015 at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, many Americans have called for the removal of the Confederate Flag flying outside the South Carolina Statehouse. Business leaders and prominent politicians of many political parties, as well as much of the general population, all called for the flag’s removal, labeling it as a symbol of racial oppression and hatred. They are correct in holding this sentiment. To the conscientious, reflective American, this ought to serve as sufficient reasoning to echo the cries for the flag’s removal. However, there exist many particularly vocal individuals who continue to assert that the Confederate Flag is a part of American (specifically, Southern) history, and ought to remain flying high. While these people seem to find themselves the minority, their position must be approached with caution and thoughtfulness.

While the declaration that the Confederate Flag is a symbol of an abominable history of racial hatred and exploitation is compelling to many, including myself, it is admittedly largely driven by pathos. The argument is rooted in emotion, and while this does not by necessity reduce its value, many see emotionally driven arguments as ineffectual. Thankfully, there exists another, perhaps more objective, grievance against the Confederate Flag. While history should be remembered, it should not always be celebrated.

The American Civil war ended 150 years ago (almost to the day). For this reason, it makes sense that many Americans forget, or conveniently don't acknowledge what the Confederate States of America were: a large, politically unified rebel faction. The actions of this rebel faction resulted in the greatest loss of life that the United States has ever experienced, in the American Civil War—about 365,000 Union soldiers were killed, while the Confederate forces lost about 260,000 soldiers. It is a well-known fact that this loss is at the hands of the Confederate States of America

The American Civil War is a prime example of political rebellion, and while this may be understandable from an academic, detached perspective, we ought to remind ourselves what that fact actually means, as well as it's consequences on the nature and status of the Confederate Flag. If we are to understand a political rebel group as something opposed to the government or entity against which the rebellion takes place, then we must admit that symbols of the rebellion necessarily stand for the ideals of the rebel group and against the entity opposing it. In short and in sum, the Confederate Flag contains the symbolic weight of the Confederate ideology. As established, the Confederate ideology was not only racially exploitative, but also anti-American. Suddenly, it becomes ironic when alleged “American patriots” fly the Confederate Flag. There is nothing American about it in any political or moral sense.

It requires only a simple thought experiment to understand the absurdity in allowing the Confederate Flag to fly in the United States for as long as it has. An event often seen as analogous to the American Civil War is the American Revolutionary War. Both conflicts consist of a politically unified rebel group fighting against a ruling entity that is separated geographically (either by the Atlantic Ocean, in the case of the American Revolution, or by state borders, in the case of the American Civil War) from said rebel group. Rather than traditional “revolutions” that aim to displace/depose current leadership, both of these conflicts were, more accurately, attempts at “divorces.” Rebelling entities desired their own political autonomy from the current ruling government, rather than the ruling government’s abolition. Let us assume, now, that Great Britain defeated the colonial rebels. The men to whom we refer as the Founding Fathers would be hung as war criminals and political traitors. The rhetoric of the American Revolution would be forever known as the rhetoric of treason. We can expect that the flag used by colonial forces, symbolic of this treasonous rhetoric, would be made illegal to be flown in all lands of the British Empire. While we may be grateful that America triumphed over the British, we can admit that if this were not the case, it would be considered fair for Britain to disallow the production and display of any symbols of the American Revolution, including the flag.

The American colonists triumphed over the British forces. The American colonists won the war. The Confederate States of America did not share this luxury. As the flag flown by American rebels was anti-British, the flag flown by Confederate rebels was anti-American (that is to say, anti-Union). The Confederate Flag symbolizes not only all Confederate rhetoric, but it also stands for failed political revolution against the government under which we live today. One cannot claim to be a proud American while flying the Confederate Flag. Allowing the Confederate Flag to fly in America today—especially on a governmental building—is to allow public celebration of what is anti-American. It is demonstrative of ignorance at best and malice at worst.

It is my sincere hope that what I have written is unnecessary. It is my sincere hope that no one needs to read this. The fact that the Confederate Flag is symbolic of racial oppression ought to be compelling enough. What I have written here serves only to bolster the initial position.