Confederate States of America CLICK HERE for the Petition to Help Save the Flag of Mississippi Article on the Birth of Robert E. Lee Disclaimer: The purpose of this site is neither to condemn or glorify the decisionof the eleven original states and the two Provisional Governments that voted to secededfrom the United States to form the Confederate States of America. It is my belief that theNorth AND the South were to blame equally for causing a war that took the lives of 620,000 fathers,brothers, uncles, cousins, and sons. Perhaps Mankind will never learn that the preservation of lifeshould be the ultimate goal of the human race, and should not be influenced by the dominance of onesociety over another. While freedom is the ultimate goal of society, we must ask ourselves"Freedom from What?" As a country founded on freedom, we have become prisoners of that same freedomthat we are trying so hard to achieve. It is that self-centered attitude that causes wars and separatesfamilies. The freedom to be free does not include the right to destroy other's lives in order toachieve our goals. The Black Race has a justifiable organization called the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). It is a worthy cause; promoting the rights of the Black population in this free country. To be fair, the Southern Caucasian Race should have their version of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement and Conservation of Patriotism). It should be established to promote unity among all races and to lend to the understanding that all Southerners DO NOT see the Confederate Flag as a symbol of slavery or racism, but as one of heritage; one that caused great loss of life defending State's Rights. Granted, WAR is foolish. So are hate crimes, racism, and disharmony among all people. I am an American, with a Scottish/Irish heritage. Many generations ago, my ancestors were Scottish/Irish. If a person actually is something or someone else, they have the right to use the hypenated name. For example: If Jane Doe marries Mr. Smith, she can then rightfully be called Jane Doe-Smith. She was Jane Doe, now she is Jane Doe-Smith. I'm NOT Scottish-American. If anything I'm Southern-American. I was born in America and, therefore, am 100% American, and always will be. Had I been born in Scotland and movedto America, that, and only that, would make me a Scottish American. The same applies for the misnomer African American.If you are born in America, YOU ARE AN AMERICAN. Period. For instance, if a pregnant Mexican woman swimsacross the border, lands on U.S. soil, and delivers the baby on the riverbank, that child is American. He/she can thenpartake of all the benefits of American citizenship, and has the same rights under the law, as you or I. We should not letcertain factions try to persuade us into thinking that we are something we're not.This is certainly no intention todisparage anyone's heritage. . .that is what makes America what it is today. The question is. . .if Bureaucrats wantto insure that we are so attuned to the "political correctness" of today's society, which is more proper? American is. The Confederate Flag, to the modern Southerner is a flag of Heritage, not Hate. The Civil War was fought for the rightof the Southern States to secede from the Union, not just because of slavery. If anything, the Confederate Flag can should be seen bythose who oppose its existence, as a symbol of society's movement away from something that no longer exists. Too often we becomeconfused and think that slavery existed only in the South. If we ban the Confederate Flag as a sign of past oppression toward Blacks,shouldn't it figure that we'll soon have to ban the U.S. Flag as offensive to Native Americans? I agree. . .fans should stop wavingthe flag at ballgames; not because it's perceived by some as a symbol of racism, but simply because it's hard to see the game with allthe flags waving. But. . .if we don't want to put up with the flag-waving, maybe we should stay home. How can the Confederate symbol hurt afootball team's recruitment of "quality" players? Have we become so concerned with the money we think we'll lose from the lack of qualityplayers because of a flag? Looks as if they really didn't have much quality at all. Schools have become so preoccupied with their sportsprograms that they ban the flag, and thus the fans, from the game. Seems as if it's time to stay home anyway. In March, 2000, the Jackson, Mississippi City Council voted to remove the Confederate Flag from City Hall. Apparently, these misguided individuals have made another attempt at seceding from the Union. The last time that happened, the Federal Government ceased any funding of the seceded entities. Maybe this time, the Mississippi Legislature will do the right thing and cut all funding for the City of Jackson, or, in the least, provide funds for another election so the God-Fearing, Patriotic People of Jackson can elect officials that are more interested in preserving our patriotism than seeing just how much coverage they can get in the media. ** UPDATE TO THE FLAG ISSUE IN MISSISSIPPI ** On May 4, 2000, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the "Mississsippi Flag" -- claimed by many Black Citizens to violate their constitutional rights -- was NOT an "official" state flag. The Court found that the Mississippi Flag had been officially adopted in 1894, but the law that designated it as a state flag had been repealed in 1906. The Court thus ruled that, since the Mississippi flag is not "officially" the State Flag, it CANNOT violate the constitutional rights of Black Citizens. As an answer to the lawsuit filed on March 10, 1993, by the NAACP citing the violation of the Black Citizens' rights...the Court concluded that "...it is beyond this Court's power and intent to order the removal of the flag currently used." The fate of the flag now rests in the hands of the Mississippi Legislature in the 2001 session, unless the Governor calls for a Special Session this summer. ** UPDATE ** On April 17, 2001, the people of the Great State of Mississippi, voted 488,630 (64.6%) to 267,812 (35.4%) to keep the 1894 version of the Mississippi Flag. Although we know the flag controversy will never be concluded, we sincerely hope that it will. There will always be people who think that a piece of cloth is far more important than the heritage behind it. Here's a word of advice for them (sung to "Dixie"): "Oh, I'm glad we live in the Land of Cotton Where Heritage is not forgotten; Move Away, Move Away; If you don't like Dixieland." My Suggestions to Change the Mississippi Flag Whether Black or White, Union or Confederate -- AMERICANS died in the Civil War. They are part of our heritage. It all comes down to this: "The Circumstances of One's Birth are Irrelevant. It is what You do with the Gift of Life that Determines Who You are." Ron Collins Below is a letter written by J.S., a 16-year-old Louisiana Resident, that is certainly worth reading: "MY DEFENSE OF THE CONFEDERATE FLAG" I have heard people whine and cry that the Confederate flag represents hate, racism, bigotry, and slavery. It has been equated with hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. It has been compared with such hate symbols as swastikas. Those who know better, realize that these views of the Confederate flag project the idiocy on this subject by those with these views. Research on the subject can change such bad views. I suggest research be done before someone goes shooting off their mouth about something he or she does not understand. Without true knowledge of the Confederate States of America, one must go on the lies and misunderstandings of the Klan.I do not see any other heritage that is spit on as often and as widely as this in America. Some think that since we do not fly Nazi flags in the name of heritage, we should not fly Confederate flags. The Nazi party committed horrid acts of genocide, but the Confederates fought for more states' rights. How can someone insinuate that something like genocide is of equal stature with something like fighting for more states' rights? Misuse of the Confederate flag by the Ku Klux Klan has reduced it to its low stature. Oh, and in case no one else noticed, the Klan flies the American flag as well.Oh yeah! Then there's that slavery thing. I understand that slavery was wrong and I do not approve of it whatsoever. Slavery was not the major issue of the Civil War. It just happened to be "the straw that broke the camel's back." At one point, President Lincoln stated that the war was not to abolish slavery. Even the noble General Ulysses S. Grant owned a few slaves. Just under 20% of Southerners had slaves. Those who did had only 5 or fewer.While we are on the subject of racism , I feel compelled to query as to why it is so wrong to use the term "White power!," but no one gives "Black power!" a second thought. I, for one, am very offended by the term "Black power!" It is an outright expression of black supremacy. If this is allowed, why can't I say "White power?" My skin may be white, but my blood is red, just like that of a black person. Sometimes I feel that if humans had the minds of dogs, we would all be truly equal.A woman's article was printed in my local newspaper, the Lake Charles American Press, on Sunday, February 13, 2000. She writes, "Robert E. Lee surrendered his sword at Appomattox. Men fly flags when they win. What other defeated warriors fly their flags?" I believe that I can provide her with an answer. The United States of America. I suppose she thinks that the USA won the Vietnam War. Reality check! We lost! Unless I have completely lost my mind, every day I stand and praise the great and beautiful "Stars and Stripes." I don't believe that I am praising the Vietnamese flag. Hopefully, she does not mean to remove the American flag.I know that the CSA lost, but I enjoy expressing my heritage. So, do not brand me as a racist or a bigot. In my blood line, I can trace my background to England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, China, Japan, the Philippines, and probably others I do not know of. I am not affiliated with any hate group of any kind, nor do I condone their actions. I have friends of many different races and ethnic backgrounds, including blacks. In fact, until the ninth grade I went to schools that are more than 90% black.I will not deny it. I am in possession of a Confederate flag. I fly it proudly, not out of hate, but out of love for my Southern heritage. The flag can be removed from before our eyes, but not from our minds or our hearts. Mark this, as long as I am alive, the noble Confederate flag will fly! Image Courtesy of Wayne Strahan Monetary Reparations for Descendants of Slaves One of the latest movements is the thought that the descendants of slaves should be compensated because their ancestors were "owned" by others. Don't get me wrong; SLAVERY WAS, IS, AND WILL FOREVER BE WRONG. But, in today's money-hungry society, someone always has to drag some skeleton out of the closet to forever tangle the already-complicated web of judicial decisions. What it all boils down to is that the families think that, just because their great-great grandfathers, or great-great grandmothers were slaves, that they have a right to get rich off the deceased. It's not about human values and family respect, it's just about the money. There is a solution, though. There should be compensation paid concerning the slavery issue. Every man, woman, child, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, mother, father, or grandparent that is living that was actually a slave should be compensated. So, in other words,anyone that is AT LEAST 135 years old, should get a million dollars. If we want to stretch the reparations a little more, let ONLY the immediate family of a former slave reap the rewards. Leave it at second generation only. My roots go all the way back to the time of King Charles in England. Do you think that, if I find out that the King mistreated one of my family members, that I'm going to jump up and sue England ? If the descendants of slaves that were "irreparably harmed" want to file a lawsuit so badly, they need to sue their own people in Africa, which were the ones that sold their families into slavery in the first place. Regardless of how wrong slavery might have been, we need to concentrate more on the poverty, killing, and violence of today than on something that our present generation had absolutely nothing to do with. The "Free State of Jones" National Park Service Underground Railroad Site The Underground Railroad Study 13th Amendment 14th Amendment 15th Amendment Gettysburg Address Emancipation Proclamation The History Place -- Abraham Lincoln Place Arrow On Flag To See The State And Date Of Secession. Click The Stars To See The Best Sites of That State. South Carolina Mississippi There were 384 principal battles in the Civil War; Mississippi was host to sixteen. Mississippi Battle Sites & Maps Mississippi Battles Corinth (First) -- April 29 - June 1862 Iuka -- September 19, 1862 Corinth (Second) -- October 3 & 4, 1862 Chickasaw Bayou -- December 26 - 29, 1862 Grand Gulf -- April 29, 1863 Snyder's Bluff -- April 29 - May 1, 1863 Port Gibson -- May 1, 1863 Raymond -- May 12, 1863 Jackson -- May 14, 1863 Champion Hill -- May 16, 1863 Big Black River Bridge -- May 17, 1863 Vicksburg -- May 18 - July 4, 1863 Meridian -- February 14 - 20, 1864 Okolona -- February 22, 1864 Brice's Cross Roads -- June 10, 1864 Tupelo -- July 14 - 15, 1864 Mississippi's Confederate Generals Civil War Information Library of Congress The History Place Underground Railroad Florida No Florida's Best Sites Alabama Georgia No Georgia's Best Sites Louisiana No Louisiana's Best Sites Texas Virginia No Virginia's Best Sites Arkansas North Carolina Tennessee NOTE: Theoretically, there were more than 11 Confederate States. On October 31, 1861, part of Missouri unofficially seceded, forming the Provisional Government of Missouri at Neosho, and becoming the 12th State. In November, 1861, part of Kentucky also "unofficially" seceded, forming the Provisional Government of Kentucky at Russellville. Kentucky was admitted to the Confederacy on December 10, 1861, with its capital at Bowling Green. Nevertheless, despite their acceptance of slavery, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri did not officially secede to join the Confederacy. Although divided in their loyalties, a combination of political maneuvering and Union military pressure kept these states from officially seceding. Civil War Resources on the Internet Copyright © by Ron Collins. 2007.