NASCAR recently turned down plans to have golfer Bubba Watson drive the iconic 'General Lee' of "The Dukes of Hazzard" fame at a March 4th Sprint Cup Series event in Phoenix. NASCAR spokesman, David Higdon, according to ESPN, believes that, "The Confederate flag is not something that should play an official role in our sport as we continue to reach out to new fans and make NASCAR more inclusive." That's all well and good Mr. Higdon, but showcasing one of America's most iconic cars, which the 'General Lee' is, is not exactly making the Confederate flag an "official" part of NASCAR.
NASCAR has basically bowed to public ignorance over what the Confederate flag actually stands for. It doesn't stand for slavery. It stands for state's rights which is what the Civil War was actually fought over. Slavery just happened to be the issue that put the federal government and the slave-holding states at odds with each other. A quick history lesson would clarify that. However, since the South was made up of slave-holding states, many people assume that the Confederate battle flag is actually a symbol of hatred, racism, and intolerance on the scale of the Nazi flag. This is simply not true.
The evolution of the Confederate battle flag is an interesting one. The one emblazoned on top of the 'General Lee' is actually the third adaptation of the Confederate States flag. The original featured two red bars separated by a white bar and a blue field to the left (like the American flag) that featured stars representing each state in the Confederacy. The flag was prominent on battle fields all the way up until May of 1863.
Here is a little known fact, several thousand slaves and free blacks served under that flag in various capacities. From cooks, laborers, teamsters, musicians, personal attendants to high-ranking officers, and other non-combatant roles. While there is no evidence in the form of official muster rolls and other paperwork that would make African-Americans "officially" having served under arms for the Confederacy, there are reports from journals and diaries kept by Confederate and Union soldiers around that state that at least several hundred probably did take up arms against Union forces throughout the war. Many of them joined up with guerilla units, served as scouts, and in other roles. The notion of enlisting African-Americans came up for debate several times in the Confederate Congress but was never passed for fear of alienating the white soldiers currently fighting for the South. Enlisting slaves and free-blacks might have caused many of the white soldiers, who were from a mostly agrarian society and depended on slave labor to keep production up on their farms. Too late, towards the very end of the war, did the South reverse this policy in 1865.
Please don't misunderstand me, I am not advocating slavery or defending it in any way. I am sure some of you might be reading this and be programmed to think I am a racist. I assure you, that is not the case. I come from a lineage that predates the Civil War in this country and my ancestors fought on the side of the Union. Please understand that this is not an advocacy for slavery. Okay, now that the disclaimer is done I can continue.
Today, it is easy to confuse the Civil War as the fight for freedom of the slaves. However, that simply isn't true. It wasn't until 1862, after the Battle of Antietam, that President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation that said all slaves in states participating in rebellion against the United States government were hereby free. It is important to note that only the slaves in the states that had taken up arms against the United States government were free but that slaves in the "border states" were still to be held as slaves. Interesting that Lincoln wouldn't free them all? Technically, slavery was allowed in the Union during the war. However, does the United States flag get banned at sporting events because of its association with slavery? Let us not forget that from 1776, when the United States declared itself independent from Great Britain, until 1861, when Southern states began to separate from the Union, the United States of America was a country built on slavery. Does this make the United States flag any worse than the Confederate one? It shouldn't. History is filled with evolution. Slavery will forever be a black-eye in the history of this great country. However, what makes this country truly great is that our system of government allows us to correct oversights and unforeseen circumstances that our Founding Fathers never anticipated.
Slavery was abolished for good in the United States with the 13th Amendment which became law on December 6, 1865 after being passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864 and passed by the House on January 31, 1865. Technically, because of Lincoln's Proclamation, slavery was legal in the United States long after it was made illegal in the South. And, since the Confederacy dissolved in April of 1865 and slavery wasn't officially abolished until December of 1865 in the United States, the United States actually allowed slavery to exist longer than did the Confederacy.
The Confederate battle flag is a part of our nation's history, a pivotal part. It marks the only time that states seceded from the Union against a federal government that they saw as overreaching. After the Civil War, veterans of the Confederacy adopted their old battle flag as part of the symbology in groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. This is where the Confederate flag begins to be seen as a symbol of hatred. However, in later years, as the Civil War veterans died off and were replaced by their descendants and others, the American flag also began to be flown at KKK rallies. Yet, there are no court cases seeking to ban the American flag from sporting events as a symbol of hatred or division.
Can the Confederate flag be interpreted as a racist symbol? Yes. Just like anything else. Hitler and the Nazi's turned the swastika, a symbol that is over 3,000 years old, into a symbol of racism, intolerance, and hatred. The swastika did not stand for the things that Nazi Germany represented before it's implementation in the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's as a national symbol for Germany. Now, because of that, the mere appearance of the swastika automatically means Nazi whereas for thousands of years in places as diverse as China, India, Europe, and was even used by the United States Army 45th Division in its shoulder patch for its positive connotations.
Today, the Confederate flag is beginning to take its place alongside the Nazi symbols as purely racist, purely evil. There have been court cases that have sought the banning of the flying of the Confederate flag outside state capitols, courthouses, and have sought it's removal from state flags.
Getting back to my original point, NASCAR has bent to the popular belief that the flag represents a divisive symbol. I believe, as do many Americans, that it is a symbol of our history of our nation. A symbol for states rights and sacrifice just like our American flag with it's thirteen red and white stripes and fifty white stars against a blue background. For most Southern Americans, the Confederate flag is about heritage and roots, not about racism. NASCAR's decision to keep the 1969 Dodge Charger 'General Lee' from participating in their event is short-sighted and adds fuel to a fire that has burned wildly in this country. The more we make the flag a symbol of hatred, the more those who believe in racial inequality will use it. It is akin to putting bullets inside of a gun, you are giving them the ammunition to use instead of denying them that ability. If the Confederate flag had been left alone and not recognized as anything more than a part of our nation's history we wouldn't be having this discussion. Instead, groups like the ACLU and NASCAR allow the flag to be used as a symbol of hate instead of history.
"The Dukes of Hazzard" was not a television show based on racism. It was a show about two Southern boys fighting a corrupt system, something many Southerners feel the Civil War was actually fought over. The car became as much a part of American popular culture as "Daisy Dukes" shorts on women in the 1970's. Are we to think that "Daisy Dukes" are now a symbol of racism and hate? C'mon. The Confederate flag plays a prominent role in every NASCAR race without NASCAR's sanction because of the massive Confederate flags that fly from the RV's in the infield. Yet, where is the movement to ban those flags? There isn't one and there shouldn't be. NASCAR originated from bootleggers souping up their cars to outrun the law, kind of like the Duke boys from the show. The 'General Lee' isn't a symbol of racism but a symbol of the origins of NASCAR.
Sports evolves along with society. African-Americans weren't allowed to play Major League Baseball until 1947 when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and opened the door to an entire race of people to pursue their dreams the same as anyone else. During one game the entire St. Louis Cardinals team threatened to sit out a game rather than play on the same field as a black man. Only because the commissioners office intervened did the game actually take place. Yet, the Cardinals pennant isn't associated with racism.
The more we allow certain symbols to be completely taken over by hate groups the more we limit our own freedoms and surrender ourselves to their hate. Instead of slinking behind the glass shield of political correctness, NASCAR should have explained why they would allow the 'General Lee' to take part in pre-race festivities. NASCAR should embrace their roots and embrace the fans that have vaulted the sport to the national spotlight. Instead of shying away and letting the Confederate flag become a symbol associated with racism, NASCAR should have stood up for itself, it's rights, it's fans, and sought to educate the public. All in all, we should be, as a nation, denying the hate groups these symbols and educate ourselves, and others, as to their original meanings.
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