The meaning of the Confederate flag depends on who is asked and which flag is meant. The design most people call the Confederate flag, a red field crossed by a blue X with white stars, was a battle flag carried by Confederate armies during the American Civil War (1861 to 1865), not the Confederacy’s official national flag. Today it is seen by some as a symbol of Southern heritage and by many others as a symbol of slavery, white supremacy and resistance to civil rights.
Confederate flag meaning: key facts
- Three national flags: the Stars and Bars (1861 to 1863), the Stainless Banner (1863 to 1865) and the Blood-Stained Banner (1865)
- The famous design is a battle flag: a rejected national flag proposal by William Porcher Miles that was adopted as a battle flag and became the most recognized symbol of the Confederacy
- The stars: the first national flag had seven stars for the seven original Confederate states, later rising to thirteen as more states joined or were claimed
- Modern revival: its modern use traces to the 1948 Dixiecrats, Southern Democrats who opposed civil rights, and spread further in reaction to the civil rights movement
- State flags: Georgia removed the battle flag from its state flag in 2003 and Mississippi in 2020
- South Carolina: the flag was taken down from the State House grounds on July 10, 2015, weeks after the Charleston church shooting
- Public opinion: a 2020 YouGov poll of more than 34,000 Americans found 41% saw the flag as representing racism and 34% as Southern heritage
Sources: Flags of the Confederate States of America and Modern display of the Confederate battle flag (Wikipedia), and Britannica.
Historical context and origin
The Confederate flags date from the Civil War, and each design reflects the politics of the Southern states that seceded.
Formation of the Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was formed in 1861 when seven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States, following the election of Abraham Lincoln and growing anti-slavery sentiment in the North. Jefferson Davis became its president. The original seven states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
The Stars and Bars
The first national flag, the Stars and Bars, flew from March 4, 1861, to May 1, 1863. It had three horizontal stripes of red and white and a blue canton with a circle of white stars, one for each state. It started with seven stars and eventually carried thirteen, reflecting the Confederacy’s claim to the border states of Kentucky and Missouri. Because it looked so much like the US Stars and Stripes, it caused confusion on the battlefield, most famously at the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas), and many Confederates disliked it for the same reason.
The battle flag
After Bull Run, General P. G. T. Beauregard pushed for a separate flag for use in battle. He turned to William Porcher Miles, whose design had been rejected as the national flag. The result, often called the Southern Cross, was a red field with a blue saltire (diagonal cross) edged in white and set with white stars. Miles chose a diagonal cross rather than an upright one to avoid an overtly religious symbol. Carried by Confederate soldiers through the American Civil War, it was never adopted as the national flag, but its design was built into the two later national flags.
The Stainless Banner and Blood-Stained Banner
The second national flag, the Stainless Banner (1863 to 1865), placed the battle flag in the corner of a white field. Critics worried that so much white could be mistaken for a flag of truce. The third, the Blood-Stained Banner, was adopted in 1865, little more than a month before the Confederacy surrendered, so few were ever made.
Symbolism and interpretations
The Confederate flag carries sharply different meanings for different Americans, and those meanings are rooted in the country’s history.
The heritage view
Some people see the flag as a representation of Southern heritage and of ancestors who fought in the Civil War. Those who hold this view often say their display of the flag is about regional identity and history rather than an endorsement of slavery.
A symbol of slavery and racism
For many others, the flag stands for a state founded to defend slavery and for later white supremacist movements. Its modern use began with the 1948 Dixiecrats, who opposed civil rights for African Americans, and it spread further as a response to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Its adoption by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi organisations has reinforced that association, and public displays regularly spark controversy.
Contemporary significance and debates
State flags and public buildings
Many of the fiercest disputes have centred on official use. The battle flag appeared in the state flags of Georgia and Mississippi; Georgia removed it in 2003 and Mississippi in 2020. In South Carolina, after the Charleston church shooting by a white supremacist in June 2015, Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill on July 10, 2015, removing the flag from the State House grounds; it was moved to the state’s Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. The same summer, the National Park Service stopped flying Confederate flags over Fort Sumter.
Military and institutions
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the Commandant of the US Marine Corps ordered Confederate-related items removed from Marine bases worldwide. Museums have increasingly placed the flag in displays that explain its role in the Lost Cause narrative rather than presenting it as a neutral emblem.
Public opinion
Opinion on the flag remains divided. A 2020 YouGov poll of more than 34,000 Americans found that 41% viewed it as a symbol of racism and 34% as a symbol of Southern heritage, with a sharp gap between Black Americans and other groups in public perception.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Confederate flag stand for?
Historically it was the battle flag of Confederate armies fighting to establish a separate, slaveholding nation. Today some Americans see it as a sign of Southern heritage, while many others see it as a symbol of slavery, racism and opposition to civil rights.
Was the Confederate battle flag the official flag of the Confederacy?
No. The Confederacy had three official national flags. The familiar red flag with the blue X was a battle flag. It was never a national flag on its own, although it formed the corner of the second and third national flags.
What do the stars on the Confederate flag mean?
The stars stand for the states of the Confederacy. The first national flag began with seven stars for the original seceding states and grew to thirteen, which included Kentucky and Missouri, states the Confederacy claimed.
Who designed the Confederate battle flag?
William Porcher Miles, a South Carolina congressman who chaired the Confederate Congress committee on the flag and seal. His design was rejected as the national flag, then adopted as a battle flag at the request of General P. G. T. Beauregard.
Which states removed the Confederate emblem from their flags?
Georgia dropped the battle flag from its state flag in 2003, and Mississippi, the last state to feature it, changed its flag in 2020.