A Backward-Looking Symbol

South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union, in 1861, and was the site of the Civil War’s first battle, at Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Today South Carolina is the only state of the old Confederacy where, by law, the Confederate battle flag continues to be flown over the Capitol. Republican Gov. David Beasley proposes to move that divisive banner to a less conspicuous site, a nearby monument to the Confederate dead. The Legislature would have to approve, but already some prominent state officials are demanding that the issue be decided by referendum.

A flag anywhere is a symbol, and for millions of Americans the Confederate flag remains a symbol of uniquely emotive significance. Some in South Carolina regard its public display as honoring those who defended the secessionist cause. To blacks and many whites, that cause was above all else dedicated to perpetuating slavery. In the 20th century, the flag was first raised over the statehouse in the early 1960s, supposedly to mark the centenary of the Civil War. But clearly it was also intended to proclaim defiance of the movement for equal rights that was then gathering force.

Beasley cited the recent growth of hate crimes in South Carolina as one reason for the change he proposes. But surely the biggest and simplest reason has to be that this is not 1861 or 1961, with all the ugly mind-sets and bitter memories those periods evoke. The Confederate flag is a reminder of a tragic past. It is not a point of departure for the future.