Georgia state flags - An interesting tale.

[aikoaiko]

We're talking a lot about flags and symbols of racism. I thought I'd share my experiences with the GA state flag as a transplant to Georgia.

I'm not a historian, but I moved to Georgia at the height of the state flag controversy and I found its history and resolution interesting. In 1956 the GA flag incorporated the battle flag and I don't think anyone disputes that it was in response to black civil rights gains. I sometimes call this GA's Dixiecrat flag (no one else does).

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By the end of the 1990s, there was a great surge of interest in changing the flag, but there was a lot of resistance, too. Gov Barnes (D) tried to find solution that moved the flag back to a design similar to the 1870-prior flag, with the history of recent GA flags on the bottom.

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It only existed for a while because those who wanted the 1956 flag were enraged, got Barnes vote out, and voted in a more sympathetic Sonny Perdue (R). Sonny delivered on changing the flag, but not to the 1956 flag.

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The 1956 flag lovers were still very unhappy, the anti-1956 flag folks were mostly unhappy, but there wasn't much commitment to the Barnes flag and they were happy that Sonny didn't revert back to the 1956 flag. The Perdue flag still flies and no one speaks about the flag issue now. Resolution? Reasonably so.

So take a look at this truncated history of the Georgia state flags. From what I learned the earlier versions of the state flag were a solid blue field, but the image from the seal (the arch, banner, and solider) was in white. During the civil war Georgia had several semi-official flags that were variations of a lone star theme or Gadsden, and then after the Civil War variations of the blue field on the pole side with two red bars separated by a while bar appear. And then the 1956 Dixiecrat flag appears.

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Apparently, those flags in between the 1879-prior flag and the Barnes flag are based on the first national flag of the confederacy (which is the actual Bars and Stars flag). Stars and Bars looks like this:

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and that, my friends, is the current GA flag with the seal in the blue field.

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No one really seems to care much these days. Virtually no one knows what the real Stars and Bars looks like and it doesn't elicit associations with racism, slavery, KKK, Dixiecrats, etc, like the 1956 GA flag or battle flag does.

Its a strange resolution by my way of thinking. In some ways, the current GA flag is more "Confederacy" than the 1956 flag, but it doesn't have the negative impact of the battle flag.

I welcome any additional insights or info about the flags. Im not a historian, but this is the tale that I've been able to piece together.

[Hoyt]

1. During the period when the racist yahoos were trying to return to the 1956 flag, there was

a well financed group that used to put up these nicely made plastic signs on telephone poles with the confederate flag asking for it to be returned.

The area I had just moved into, seemed to attract a lot of these racist yahoos, so the telephone poles were full of them. For awhile, I drove around with a collapsible ladder in my backseat and when I didn't have to worry about getting shot by some racist yahoo, would climb up the pole and tear them down, or put up my own handwritten sign.

I despise that flag and people who wave it. Similarly, I still won't go to Stone Mountain because when I was growing up they'd have these well publicized big klan meetings on top with a big burning cross that would end up on TV and front page of the papers. It just feels creepy with the big confederate carving and history, even though lots of minorities like going there nowadays. It's a nice park, if you can get past the history.

I'm not a historian either, but there is no doubt that yahoos here put those flags on their cars and trucks, houses, tatoo them on their arms or asses, etc., because they are racists and enjoy intimidating minorities. There is no other reason. There's even a gun store that used to advertise plastic handles for folks' guns with the confederate flag.

I just don't understand people who like to intimidate others with racist symbols, gunz, etc. I don't like the current flag either, but it's better than the 1956 one and doesn't make my blood pressure sky rocket.

[In_The_Wind]

2. My elementary school outside Atlanta displayed the first flag in your OP.

I was born in Atlanta. Do I hide my old Georgia flag or what? It's been folded and packed away for many years.

[CTyankee]

7. donate it to a museum you trust to treat it like an historical artifact...

you don't want it to be used wrongly. That is my plea to you...

[In_The_Wind]

9. Perfect. I hadn't thought of that option. It'll never fly again as long as I own it.

[aikoaiko]

8. I see it flown often but given its history I would not.

I associate it with anti desegregation and anti civil rights for black Americans , but it would take a real historian to connect the dots with official and unofficial communication during the 1950s. Such work may likely already be done.

I would hold onto it though.

My wife is a life long Georgian and she doesn't have have any confederate stuff and doesn't embrace the battle flag icon. She asked me not to get any of that for our son who is 10

[In_The_Wind]

10. When I moved north, I brought the flag along with everything I wanted from my childhood.

I don't feel right about throwing it away but it'll never fly again.

[CTyankee]

11. make sure it doesn't fly in the wrong hands...find a museum that will take it...

not worth the worry about what evil hands it may fall into...

and actually, museums are the safest places for both art and artifacts. The curators and staff take extra care to preserve them and guard them well...

[TexasTowelie]

3. K&R

[KamaAina]

4. I once had a design

with three diagonal stripes of different colors, representing north, middle and south Georgia.

This was during the '56 flag days, of course.

[aikoaiko]

5. I have not run across that one. Interesting.

[KamaAina]

6. Not surprising, as I only shared it with a few of my lefty friends up there

I was in NOLA at the time.