Cotton and the Confederate Flag
The cotton confederate flag War ended more than 150 years ago, but the battle lines remain a central theme in our political and legal landscape. One of the most hotly debated issues involves the Confederate flag, which symbolizes slavery and a White supremacy that ultimately led to the loss of the South. The flag is an important symbol in the story of Margaret Mitchell’s novel Gone with the Wind and is seen prominently in the film adaptation. But, despite its significance, the flag has never been universally accepted as part of the “Lost Cause.” The question for courts is how to balance First Amendment freedoms with the desire to maintain public order and safety.
Cotton Confederate Flag: Symbolism and Representation in the South
At the outbreak of the Civil War, cotton was not only a lucrative cash crop for southern plantations, but it was also considered to be a key to Confederate victory. Using what became known as “King Cotton Diplomacy,” Southern leaders tried to entice Great Britain to join the war on their side by offering to provide raw cotton for its navy and to subsidize cotton prices for British merchants.
In response to the humiliating defeat at the First Battle of Manassas, General Pierre Beauregard decided that the Confederate Army needed a better looking flag than the simple stars and bars in use at the time. He sent drafts of a new battle flag to several officers, including Robert E. Lee, and asked for their comments and suggestions. The resulting flag, the Third National Flag of the Confederacy, featured a red field with a blue saltier (a diagonal cross similar to a St. Andrew’s cross) and a longer and wider set of red and white stars than the second national flag.