Changes

[[File:Confederate Rebel Flag.svg.png|thumb|300px|Rectangular Confederate battle flag, which became the most well-known flag after the Civil War's end.]]

[[File:Confederate Rebel Flag.svg.png|thumb|300px|Rectangular Confederate battle flag, which became the most well-known flag after the Civil War's end.]]

Several '''Confederate flags''' have existed in history, the most recent one being the most well known. During the [[Civil War]], three successive flags served as the official flag of the [[Confederate States of America]]. While segregationists and white supremacists have used the current flag in their activities, the flag's main purpose was to honor Confederate veterans and for [[The South|Southern]] pride and heritage, and racist groups did not adopt the flag until decades later. These groups have no legitimate relation to the flag, which stands for states rights, Southern pride, and honor.<ref name="usflag.org"/>

Several '''Confederate flags''' have existed in history, the most recent one being the most well known. During the [[Civil War]], three successive flags served as the official flag of the [[Confederate States of America]]. While segregationists and [[white supremacist]]s have used the current flag in their activities, the flag's main purpose was to honor Confederate veterans and for [[The South|Southern]] pride and heritage, and racist groups did not adopt the flag until decades later. These groups have no legitimate relation to the flag, which stands for states rights, Southern pride, and honor.<ref name="usflag.org"/>

==History==

==History==

===Rise in popularity===

===Rise in popularity===

Around 1900, the Confederate flags, particularly the Battle Flag, became common and mainstream throughout the South.<ref name="historynet.com"/> This resurgence was related to the "[[Lost Cause of the Confederacy]]" movement, which saw the Civil War to be over states rights and the South's military defeat not to mean any defeat of Southern values.<ref name="ALencyc">Cox, Karen L. (August 16, 2008; originally). [http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1643 Lost Cause Ideology]. ''Encyclopedia of Alabama''. Retrieved December 30, 2016.</ref> The movement had little, if anything, to do with racism, regardless with the unbiblical realities of segregation in the South at the time.<ref name="ALencyc"/> Despite efforts by the [[The United Confederate Veterans]] and the [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]] to promote the square-shaped flag used by the Army of Northern Virginia, the rectangular version used by the [[Army of Tennessee]] and the Confederate Navy became the most popular version due to its having the same shape as the Stars and Stripes and thus being the Southern equivalent.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

Around 1900, the Confederate flags, particularly the Battle Flag, became common and mainstream throughout the South.<ref name="historynet.com"/> This resurgence was related to the "[[Lost Cause of the Confederacy]]" movement, which saw the Civil War to be over states rights and the South's military defeat not to mean any defeat of Southern values.<ref name="ALencyc">Cox, Karen L. (August 16, 2008; originally). [http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1643 Lost Cause Ideology]. ''Encyclopedia of Alabama''. Retrieved December 30, 2016.</ref> The movement had little, if anything, to do with racism, regardless with the unbiblical realities of segregation in the South at the time.<ref name="ALencyc"/> Despite efforts by the [[The United Confederate Veterans]] and the [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]] to promote the square-shaped flag used by the Army of Northern Virginia, the rectangular version used by the [[Army of Tennessee]] and the Confederate Navy became the most popular version for having the same shape as the Stars and Stripes and thus being the Southern equivalent.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

The Confederate flag continued to be used in honor of the Confederacy and its fallen soldiers during this time.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

The Confederate flag continued to be used in honor of the Confederacy and its fallen soldiers during this time.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

The [[Dixiecrats]] used the flag when they opposed the inclusion of a civil rights statement on the Democrat platform in 1948.<ref name="historynet.com"/> During this time and during the [[Civil Rights movement]], [[Segregation]]ists used the flag as a symbol in their opposition to the removal of liberal, racist, and unbiblical [[Jim Crow]] laws.<ref name="historynet.com"/> The United Daughters of the Confederacy saw that these groups were not using the flag as they intended, and they condemned their use of it and encouraged some Southern states to pass desecration laws against the state.<ref name="historynet.com"/> Those laws did not have much of an effect.<ref name="historynet.com"/> States rights and remembering fallen Confederate soldiers continued to be a large motive for flying the Confederate flag.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

The [[Dixiecrats]] used the flag when they opposed the inclusion of a civil rights statement on the Democrat platform in 1948.<ref name="historynet.com"/> During this time and during the [[Civil Rights movement]], [[Segregation]]ists used the flag as a symbol in their opposition to the removal of liberal, racist, and unbiblical [[Jim Crow]] laws.<ref name="historynet.com"/> The United Daughters of the Confederacy saw that these groups were not using the flag as they intended, and they condemned their use of it and encouraged some Southern states to pass desecration laws against the state.<ref name="historynet.com"/> Those laws did not have much of an effect.<ref name="historynet.com"/> States rights and remembering fallen Confederate soldiers continued to be a large motive for flying the Confederate flag.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

The rasist or segregationist use of the Confederate flag caused many [[African Americans|blacks]] to turn against it.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

The racist or segregationist use of the Confederate flag caused many [[African Americans|blacks]] to turn against it.<ref name="historynet.com"/>

===Modern day===

===Modern day===

Several Southern states base their flags off one of the several Confederate flags.<ref>Ingraham, Christopher (June 21, 2015). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/21/how-the-confederacy-lives-on-in-the-flags-of-seven-southern-states/?utm_term=.5a605a01a36a How the Confederacy lives on in the flags of seven Southern states]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved December 30, 2016.</ref> While white supremacists (who are leftists) sometimes use the flag, states rights, Southern Pride, and honoring Confederate veterans remain the overwhelmingly predominant and only legitimate purposes of the flag.<ref name="usflag.org"/>

Several Southern states base their flags off one of the several Confederate flags.<ref>Ingraham, Christopher (June 21, 2015). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/21/how-the-confederacy-lives-on-in-the-flags-of-seven-southern-states/?utm_term=.5a605a01a36a How the Confederacy lives on in the flags of seven Southern states]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved December 30, 2016.</ref> While [[white supremacist]]s (who are leftists) sometimes use the flag, states rights, Southern Pride, and honoring Confederate veterans remain the overwhelmingly predominant and only legitimate purposes of the flag.<ref name="usflag.org"/>

==Leftist attempts at censure and distortion==

==Leftist attempts at censure and distortion==