8 Facts About the Confederate Flag You Didn’t Know About

You see the Confederate flag whipping back and forth in the wind, and your heart leaps, as you immediately feel a connection to it.

You’re not the only person who feels this way.

Research shows that 17% of Black people view the Confederate flag as a symbol of Southern pride, and 66% of white people embrace “Old Dixie” in this way.

The American Confederacy is certainly dead now, but the flag lives on. If you’re curious about the Rebellion, here are eight facts about the Confederate flag you may have never known.

Facts About the Confederate Flag: A Glimpse at the Confederate Flag

This flag became the Confederacy’s first official flag after the Confederacy was created in the early part of 1861.

A special committee was charged with designing the flag. Although one approach was to develop a flag that mirrored the United States’ flag at that time, another approach was to produce a completely different flag. A variety of designs ended up being used to represent the Confederacy in the following years.

1. The Flag Started Out with an “X” Design

The flag’s first version featured a large blue “X” dotted with 13 white stars, all on a red background. The 13 states represented by the stars were South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

However, this version was flown for just two years.

Why?

Because soldiers on the Civil War’s two sides frequently confused the “Stars and Bars” of the Confederate flag with the “Stars and Stripes” of the Union flag. And this, of course, led to confusion on the battlefield.

Another reason for the design change is that the Congress of the Confederacy was simply unhappy with it, as they craved a flag that they felt was “more Confederate.”

As a result, in May of 1863, a second Confederate flag was introduced that integrated the banner of the Northern Virginia Army, led by General Robert E. Lee, with a white plane. It got its name — “The Stainless Banner” — from the white midsection present on the banner.

Then, in 1865, a third flag was unveiled that added a red-colored bar at the edge of the flag. It’s this red bar that led the flag to be called “The Blood-Stained Banner.”

Not many third version flags were produced prior to Lee’s surrender to Union troops in April of that year.

The good news is that the various versions of the Confederate flag are available today for purchase. Shop now to find the perfect flag to showcase with pride or keep in your personal collection of historical items.

2. Some State Laws Protect the Flag

Specifically, five states feature laws designed to protect the banner of the Confederacy: South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida.

In other words, if you decide to deface this flag in any of these states, you’ll receive the same punishment you’d receive for defacing the state flag or the American flag.

3. The Flag Is Still Part of the State Flag of Mississippi

South Carolina recently bowed to vocal public pressure to remove the Confederate banner from the state capitol. However, Mississippi has decided to keep using the flag of the Confederacy on the state flag of Mississippi.

However, back in 2001, the state did go through a period where efforts were made to change its flag. These efforts, though, failed, as flag proponents saw the flag as an important part of the state’s achievements and history.

To this day, students in school learn not only the United States banner fledge but also the Mississippi banner pledge.

4. The Flag Represented Resistance to the Federal Government

Back in 1948, a party known as the Dixiecrats adopted the flag of the Confederacy as its party’s flag.

The party, which promoted segregation but was short-lived, chose this flag because the party’s members supported states’ rights. And this is exactly what the states of the Confederacy pushed for at the time of the Civil War.

5. Confederate Flags and Slave Ships Didn’t Mix

Confederate flags from the South were never flown on slave ships.

Rather, New England, English, Dutch, and Portuguese ships were utilized in the trading of slaves.

6. The Majority of Americans Don’t See the Flag as a Racist Symbol

According to a CNN survey conducted back in 2015, over 50% of Americans did not view the flag as racist. Rather, most Americans viewed the banner as a powerful symbol of pride in the South.

These results no doubt surprised critics of the flag. However, the results were actually no different from those of a similar 2000 study examining people’s perceptions of the Confederate banner.

7. Georgia’s State Flag Is Strongly Tied to the Confederacy

Many Georgians have no clue that the state’s flag was actually the Confederacy’s first flag.

If you take a close look at Georgia’s flag, you’ll see a Georgia “Coat of Arms” emblazoned between stars. This is a spitting image of the Confederacy’s first flag.

8. The Flag Continues to Strongly Represent the South

The Confederacy ended up collapsing not long after the Confederate banner was adopted. However, the Confederacy’s flag remains an iconic symbol of the South — one that continues to instill strong feelings in both its opponents and its proponents.

Learn More Weird Facts!

In addition to highlighting interesting facts about the Confederate flag, we offer a glimpse at a number of interesting facts about a wide variety of topics.

For example, we offer a look at strange facts about the world’s most addictive drugs. We also provide interesting facts about playing the piano.

Through our site, you can even find out weird facts concerning witches that might cause you to think they are real.

Take a peek here to find out more interesting tips that will enrich your understanding of the world and, in turn, add value to your life long term.

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