The Confederate Battle Flag used to fly over the South Carolina Capitol up until July 2000, when it was taken down from atop the Capitol and raised on a 30-foot tall flag pole on the grounds in front of the Capitol.
Pro-flag supporters say that flying the Confederate Battle Flag is a way for them to celebrate their Southern heritage. They have a point, but their Southern heritage is much more than the Confederacy – they used to be a British colony!
So, why not celebrate that history and heritage as well? For 96 years the British flag flew over South Carolina, while the flag of the Confederacy only flew for 4 years! As a British-American, I am outraged that the history and heritage of the British colonists that founded the great state of South Carolina is being forgotten every day.
To that end, I support the construction of a 50 foot flagpole to stand right behind the Confederate Battle Flag on which will fly the Union Jack. It will commemorate the founders of the original colony of Carolina, who in 1670 established a permanent settlement near Charleston. South Carolina was one of the richest colonies in Colonial America, and this honor should not be lost.
Now, I know what you are thinking – we can’t fly the Union Jack over the South Carolina Capitol. I say, why not? Is it because they lost the war? Well, so did the Confederacy, but you still see its flag flying! I say: let’s fly them both. Looking back, isn’t the Colonial history of South Carolina as much an important part of heritage as the Confederacy? I would say it is even more important!
So, if you are going to celebrate your heritage, celebrate it all the way! Let’s fly that Union Jack in front of the Capitol!
[Note: This post originally was published on this site in April 2002. It is as apt now as it was 18 years ago. The flag isn’t about heritage, as my post shows, but about racism. If you truly wanted to celebrate heritage, you’d wave the Union Jack as well!]