Flagged

There's a house, a couple of miles or so away from where I live, where the owners often display flags from nations around the world. These are accompanied by the name of the nation (or state) in question and the name of the capital. This has been going on for years, and I suspect that it's lasted through different owners of the home.

Today, however, was a slight exception to the normal pattern.

The flag on display was the "Stars and Bars" or the first national flag of the Confederate States of America. And it was identified as such, and the second line was "Civil War."

Now, I suspect that "the Confederacy" would have been a tight, or even impossible, fit for the sign on the banister. But if the flag is going to be displayed, I think that the historical context is useful, given that many Americans have a fairly tenuous grasp of the nation's history. For many people, the Confederate battle flag, with the stars on diagonal stripes (and also incorrectly referred to as the "Stars and Bars") is what comes to mind when they think of the defunct CSA, which is what makes it such a lightning rod.

Does it make a difference whether people actually understand what flag were flown by the Confederacy? Not really. But I think a better understanding of the Civil War, its players and their motivations would be helpful. Unfortunately, it's often considered a subject best avoided.