Saturday, March 2, 2013

Revisionist History of Texas

Wherever you travel, when you find an official Texas rest stop, there will be six flags flying out front. Every Texan can recite the six flags in historical order: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederacy, and United States. And every Texan over the age of 30 can identify the Confederate flag as the crossed stars and bars. Those under 30? Well they got this in history class:

 
Why the change? Political correctness, historical revisionism, stripping the South of it's sovereign identity in order to make sure it knows it's place? All of the above? Every time I see the revisionist "Confederate" flag, it pisses me off. History IS. You can't change it just because it's uncomfortable; and did you ever think about the damage done by glossing over uncomfortable facts in history? What if the Germans insisted on calling the Holocaust "that unfortunate misunderstanding"? Stop fucking with history. Teach Civil War history properly, honestly and organically without trying to force the narrative to fit the demonization of the South that was required to acquit the North's trampling of States' rights. Return the Rebel flag to the Six Flags Over Texas and let history be.
 


7 comments:

orbitup said...

I'll have a talk with the boy later. See what they taught him and fix it.

Anonymous said...

Good post, and I agree.
Miss Violet

Chris Mallory said...

Nothing revisionist about using the Stars and Bars as the flag for the Confederacy. It was the national flag of the Confederate States of America for the first couple of years of the war.
The St. Andrew's Cross version of the flag was a battle flag or a Navel Jack. The two later versions of the national flag did incorporate the SAC battle flag, both putting it in the top left corner.

http://www.moc.org/collections-archives/flags-confederacy

Hood's Brigade used variations of the Republic of Texas flag.
http://www.texasstudies.com/FlagExhibit/FlagExamples.htm

Personally, I favor the flag of the Kentucky Orphan Brigade.

http://firstprinciplespress.org/newsite/2012/07/05/battle-flag-of-the-orphan-brigade/

hiswiserangel said...

Chris, it's not the substitution I protest as much as the WHY of the substitution. The shaming of the original flag that we all grew up with, the attempt to make all Southerners feel shame over that portion of our history. The shift to hardcore teaching of North good, South bad that accompanied the change of the flag. You know, that sort of thing.

Jason said...

If we don't use history as a teacher, then we are doomed to repeat our mistakes.

Not saying the south was wrong. Just sayin' I agree with you Angel.

Chris Mallory said...

But the StAC flag was never a national flag of the Confederacy. It was used as part of the two last national flags. The StAC flag was a unit flag. It flew on the battlefield or on ships of the Confederate Navy.
Getting history right has nothing to do with shaming us.
Personally, I think Lincoln got what he deserved and John Wilkes Booth was a hero.

The flag I fly on my home is the Black Flag of Quantrill, the black flag means "No Quarter".

Sic Semper Tryannus
Deo Vindice

Anonymous said...

Chris is right. Take it from an ACW re-enactor. The St. Andrews cross WAS the battle flag of the Confederacy.

During the war the Confederacy flew three national flags. The first National flag with seven stars is what is shown in your top illustration. Later versions of the flag have 9, 11 and finally 13 stars as more states were added. The Second National also known as the Stainless Banner because of it's white field was white with the battle flag occupying the area where the blue field is. The Third National added a red vertical bar ate the edge of the flag. So in essence they are correct.

I do object to those that want to remove the battle flag altogether. History should not be erased, it is what it is. History also shows us that the victor gets to write the books.

hbbill
Somewhere behind enemy lines,
Peoples Republik of Kalifornistan