The Truth about
the Rebel Flag

a symbol of "acquired freedom"
Do you also get those annoying comments or questions about the usage of our flag?  | Posted by: Bully Rebel 

Dutch / Nederlands
Introduction:
In media, The Rebel flag is increasingly referred to as a symbol of racial hatred, but is this justified and what does slavery have to do with it? For many southern Americans, it also symbolizes the ideal their ancestors died for. They use the statement "Heritage not hate".

The Rebel and his flag:
A Rebel is a rebellious individual who refuses to act like a herd, or dress or act like most people do. This also applies if it means that you are an outsider and are viewed by society with disdain, or as white trash.

European Rebels are proud of who they are, they are confident and don't lower the sword when it comes to their individuality or personal opinion. They are straightforward, honest and tell you exactly what they think, just like their fellow Rednecks and Hill Billies in the southern states did way back in time. Taking the Rebel flag away with a weak story is therefore very difficult.

Dukes of Hazzard and the General Lee
For Rebels, the flag is a symbol of acquired freedom, rebellion and rockabilly music. The same freedom for which the southern states once fought hard. It gives a feeling of 'good old boys', as demonstrated in the Dukes of Hazard, where the dukes take a nice walk with corrupt and stupid government, and do not indicate any racial hatred. We criticize the hypocritical Yankees, who win the Civil War, abolish slavery, then nullify the equal right clause of the XIVth Amendment, and allow the Jim Crow-laws to result in years of racial segregation without properly addressing it, and now blame a flag from a previous era that was appropriated by premacists.
Mobirise
         
The Rebel Flag




Why do we continue to proudly fly the flag:

In Europe, the flag has been a symbol of acquired freedom, rebellion and rockabilly music since the 1970s and 1980s.


1 - Dixie (the former Confederate States) is the cradle of Rock & Roll (and therefore Rockabilly) music, a mixture of African American Rhythm and Blues music with local American influences. Music was one of the first forms of racial integration in the 1950s-60s. (in the period of the creation of this music there was no clear name for these music genres)


   2 - The confederate states were not the center, nor the instigators of slavery, slavery was a global problem, started, grown and ended elsewhere in the world. The share of the Confederate States in the slavery problem was globally rather marginal.

   3 - The disputed flag called the "Confederate Flag" has never been adopted by the Confederate Congress, and has never been used during Confederacy! (Confederate flag is a misnomer)
   
4 - The confedracy existed only 5 years. The main goal of the 5-year Civil War was to bring the divisional confederate states back to the United States of America. The next 75 years of racial segregation under Stars and Stripes in the United States, persisted well into the 20th century, in lands with a jointly elected government (North and South). (so why the confederate flag ??)

  5 - There are no longer any former slaves who can offend the flag, and hardly any people whose parents have been slaves. After all, the confedracy ended more than 150 years ago. There are just as many Americans who have lost ancestors in the civil war and experience it as their, heritage and history.

  6 - Racists do not deserve to be placed on a pedestal by affirming that the flag would be theirs, and further allowing improper use of the flag to prohibit or discourage use for all rightful users. However we do recognize that supremacist groups have been massive and extreme in the southern states, but we see this as a local problem, which was not sufficiently and too late addressed by the United States at the time.
Further explanation of these 6 statements:

1. The cradle of Rock & Roll 
The Confederate States were perceived by the northern states as barbarians and stupid rural folks. The Christian faith was forced upon them by the North. Their perseverance and courage in the fight for freedom and independence is considered legendary in military history. That is not nostalgia, but a historical legacy. The area where the flag comes from is also the cradle of the Rock & Roll, a music genre that arises from southern exeptionalism and influences by multicultural musicians in the area called 'Dixie'. The first rock 'n' roll songs were recorded by African American artists, which confirms that there is no question of racism by rock and roll fanatics. It is a bewildering mix of rythem and blues and country and western. Rockabilly is a Rock 'n Roll variant with more Hillbilly influences.

The rebel flag is a perfect match
The Rock & Roll period ended in America around 1960, but there was a revival towards the end of the 1970s, in which this rebel flag played a major role, especially for Europe. Many bands and associations at that time adopted the rebel flag as a logo, including Rocking Rebels Eindhoven. After all, they were a club in the southern province of North Brabant, and that in a country with 13 provinces, as many as there are confederate states and therefore stars on the flag. Brabant experienced the same pressure from the predominant Dutch northern provinces. The red white blue colors of the Dutch flag are also reflected in the rebel flag. During football matches, people from Eindhoven are still chanted with "farmers". A perfect match of the Rocking Rebels with this flag since it was founded in 1979. In Europe, the revival is most noticeable in Great Britain, where various bands have emerged, and Rockabilly, Teddyboys, Rockers and Rebels are still very well-represented subculture remains.

Bo Diddley's five-accent hambone rhythm

While the Puritan North in the US initially only promoted music from white artists, a tight-knit group of musicians gathered around Sam Philips (SUN) in Memphis, Tennessee, where everyone was allowed to record music. Something similar also took place in New Orleans. The African American artists had a hard time gaining ground at the beginning, and that plight resulted in many first hand experienced blues artists, like Robert Johnson. It helped that people like Elvis started playing their songs and sometimes making them a hit.

Elvis was a man who was socially ahead of his time.
As a boy, Elvis listened to Arthur Crudup, the black blues singer who is the origin of That's All Right, Elvis' first record.

Chuck Berry in front of a white audience in the fifties

Elvis: "Crudup, I was swinging like I do now, and I said if I ever got to the point where I could feel old Arthur, I would become a musician like they had never seen." (1956)

It was such statements that made Elvis a hero in the black community in those early years. Elvis has been praised as a 'raceman' in two African American newspapers, 'The Memphis World' and 'The Tri-State Defender' - not only for his music, but also for his indifference to the social differences common at the time and prejudices. Partly because of this, artists such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, and Little Richard from the southern states gained access to the market. Also people like Carl Perkins, who came from a poor farmworker family, grew up as a cotton picker in a multicultural environment, promoting fusion of cultures with a common denominator of music style. It is unbelievable how, decades later, people can misinterpret something beautiful and turn it into something negative

Elvis WDIA goodwill Revenue 1956
And are we alone in this as Rocking Rebels Eindhoven? No ... there have been many bands, musicians and associations in the 1970s and 80s that adopted the flag as their symbol of freedom and their music. Almost every Rockabilly and / or Teddyboy cult affiliated band, association or music album uses this flag, and although a number have succumbed under pressure off so-called political correctness, or financial benefits, it is the real rebels who do not allow to take away this beloved flag.

A small selection of worldwide non-racist Rebel Flag use by others, often with very different musical backgrounds, over a period of >40 years. Only in the last decades a smear campaign against the rebel flag has been created through mass media, and taken for truth by the ignorant;

The founder of Sun Records in Memphis, and the role of Beale avenue etc.
Traditional version of Dixie.

(Music opening doors for racial integration - originated in the Southern states of the United States)
G O O D   M U S I C   F O R   G O O D   P E O P L E

Sam Phillips - Roots of Rockabilly Dixie
2. Slavery not American or confedrate, but a 'global' problem:
Western slavery took place roughly between 1500 and 1900 in many countries, although if you ask around, the focus is often on the last 20 years of slavery (only 7% in time), and then exclusively in the United States (1880-1900 ). I think it is complete nonsense that after 300-400 years of slavery in many countries, a navy flag of the American confederation is seen as a symbol of racism. After all, most slaves have been shipped to South and Central America, and slavery for both black and white has existed for at least as long as historiography. So it is centuries old, and certainly not from a few hundred years ago, and Confedracy's share in slavery is globally very marginal.
Ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, the Romans, but also more modern African, American, Arab and Asian cultures often made use of slaves. Slavery also occurred in Chinese, Indian and American Indian cultures. The Islamic prophet Mohammed and many of his companions also bought, sold and made slaves, until the fall of the Ottoman Empire (1918). So slavery has taken place all over the world for a very long time, and there were both white and black slaves by which I would say that slavery is not exclusively about the black race. For example, the Egyptian pyramids were almost certainly built by white slaves. The Barbary slave trade refers to the thriving white slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries on the Barbary coast of North Africa. It is estimated that 1,000,000 to 1,250,000 European slaves were trafficked during that period.
Since the great crossing by Columbus in 1492, Europeans have settled in what is called the 'New World' at the expense of the indigenous people. The Portuguese started cane sugar plantations in Brazil and had them processed by slaves from Africa. Although the slave trade in Africa already existed before the Europeans got involved, the scale after the European interference was of course considerably larger. In Africa, the slaves were offered by black chiefs who had discovered that it was lucrative not to kill prisoners captured in a tribal war, but to put them up for sale at a good price.

The transatlantic slave trade was the trade of slaves from Africa to the continent of America, managed by Europeans who had colonies there (Spain, Portugal, France, England and the Netherlands). The proceeds brought both Europe, and after the independence in 1776 also the Union in the US more prosperity and a better balance of the trade balance with Asia. With regard to the United States (Union), the slave trade started during the time of the British colonies in New England, first flourished in Massachusetts and then gained a foothold in the coast of New Hampshire, all northern states. Ultimately, Rhode Island dominated, becoming the largest slave market for the Union. Most slaves ended up in Brazil and not in the United States.

The Netherlands started the slave trade with the establishment of the West India Company in 1621. Together they have transported more than twelve million Africans in this transatlantic slave trade in over two hundred years. Over 550,000 of them were transported by Dutch people. 

map of the stream of slaves

CONCLUSION: If you look at current drug crime, then it is not the users who should be punished the most by today's standards,but the traders! So in this racism story, the rebel flag opponents would not be better targeting the European colonists, rather than a select group of slave users only in the southern US states, and a flag that only after the abolition of slavery has hung?


3. The rebel flag has never been used during Confederacy
The confederation used stars and bars in the first 3 years of the war, and then predominantly white flags in the last 2 years of its existence. In the last 2 years, however, there was also a square battle flag with the white omitted, so that during a battle in situations with little wind, it looked less like a white surrender flag. The navy flag, the wide version that we now usually use, was only used in the 20th century (so well after the abolition of slavery) because it was better in size with the other flags that hung in government buildings.

The 7 Confederate flags during civil war
 The 7 offical flags of the former Confedracy 1861-1865
The Confederate States and the Civil War:
On July 4, 1776, America broke away from the British rulers. (Declaration of Independence). 85 years later (1861) a number of southern states (CSA) seceded and no longer belong to the United States (Union), with the result of civil war. In the north, industrialization had taken off and large urban areas with infrastructure and many inhabitants developed, while confedracy lived scattered, simple and rural and made a living with agriculture. The Union had grown into a large group of affluent, and the Confedracy into a smaller group of generally poorer people who felt disadvantaged. They paid taxes, but the proceeds did not benefit the southern states, or much less. Also in elections the southern states did not feel well represented and lost their influence,

In the urbanized states in the north, interests were very different from those in the south. Understand that agrarian-oriented life in the Confederate states was largely economically dependent on slavery at the time, and a completely established phenomenon. After all, 36% of the population owned slaves, and it was a hard-earned investment. It was a property of value, so the abolition was met with some resistance understandably.

In modern terms that meant about the same as that by parliamentarians in cities (where you don't need a tractor at all) you had to hand in your expensive tractor because of environmental legislation.... a good cause but finacially a pain, so they were indeed not there to shout with enthusiasm and strongly resisted. At the time there was great controversy in America about the theme of slavery, where now this is a no brainer.

De geconfedeeerde staten
The American Civil War (1861-1865) was NOT fought to end slavery. Taxation was a direct cause of the war, and the main goal was to restore the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation clearly states that if Abraham Lincoln could reunite the Union without freedom for all slaves, he would. he literally said, "My policy sought only to collect the Revenue (a 40 percent federal sales tax on imports to Southern States under the Morrill Tariff Act of 1861)." it says in paragraph 5 of Lincoln's first notice to the Congress of the United States on July 4, 1861.  "I have no purpose, directly or in-directly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so". Lincoln said this during his first inauguration as president in 1861. After more than a year of war and major setback for the Union, the subject of slavery, however, turned out to be a contributing and decisive factor in getting rid of confederal independence with a minimum majority of votes and also exerting pressure on Europe to abolish slavery which contributed to its decision making the abolition of slavery in the US civil war in the foreground and had other benefits; by promising freedom to the slaves, some 200,000 slaves could also be added to the Union army, although they were paid less than the white soldiers, but were nevertheless very motivated. 

America was certainly not at the forefront, England and France abolished slavery in their colonies as early as 1833 and 1848. As one of the last countries in Europe, the Netherlands abolished slavery on July 1, 1863. Slavery was abolished in the then Dutch colonies of Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. This brought an end to a period of more than 200 years of slavery in western colonies.
Around the same time as one of the last, a big step was taken in 1863 towards the freedom of slaves in the US.
Lincoln signed his Liberation Proclamation, releasing all slaves in the Confederacy. However, because the civil war lasted until 1865, so 2 years longer, this did not have immediate consequences, but slavery was abolished there immediately after the war.

Abraham Lincoln Liberation Proclamation
The Confederate States were only 2 years later than the Netherlands, abolishing slavery, so they are not much worse and have not gone on indefinitely. A country like Mauritania did not abolish slavery until 1981, but is rarely mentioned as a racist country or territory, although illegal slavery was still practiced in that country even after its abolition.
While the US often brags a bit about its role in the abolition of slavery, it at first did little for the black population. Almost immediately after the Civl War and the reunification of the Union, the US adopted the so-called 'Black Codes', which continued to oppress African Americans, allowing for forced labor (another form of slavery). So this happened under the Stars and Stripes of the US, a flag with the empty promise of freedom and justice for all. This was also contrary to the Equal Rights clause of the XIV Amendment from the US Constitution of 1868! Under the same Stars and Stripes, the 'Black Codes' were transformed into the 'Jim Crow Laws' that governed racial segregation around 1890. It has taken more than 75 years for the US government, elected jointly by Northern and Southern states, to straighten out racial segregation that violated its own constitution. In addition, more than 40 years after the abolition of slavery and the end of the Confederate states, the US attempted to scientifically substantiate that African Americans were less human and closer to the apes, by displaying and caging Ota Benga (a male from the Congo) together with a monkey in the Bronx Zoo in 1906 (Bronx = New York = Northern State). This makes the United States one of the most racist countries in history, which initially did little to change this.
It is therefore totally inappropriate for the United States to, 150 years after the dissolvement of the Confederacy, claim that a flag somehow related to the former Confederate states would be racist. It seems that after more than 100 years of racism in the US, the US tries to talk itself clean, and hang it on the confederation that only existed for 5 years, with just a handful of southern rebelion people left to speak up.

5. Over 150 years ago:
With the termination of the Civil War, the confederation is now over 150 years ago. So there are no more slaves from the confederacy who have experienced slavery, and hardly any people whose parents have been slaves and could therefore offend the flag seen as the flag of the Confederate States. It is now telling untruths or half-truths that have been thickened by the mass media, so that the general public has started to adopt these thoughts (modern demagogues).
Most people know no better than what they have been led to believe in the media, and blindly believe that they are fighting for a good cause.

Considering all Interested parties, (apart from other stakeholders outside the United States) there are certainly just as many Americans who have lost ancesters in the civil war and experience this as their history and legacy. However, due to the previously highlighted Yankees vs Redneck situation, the already generously sized group of descendants of slaves is supported by the Yankees who now want to score some points as a make-up and therefore form a very large group of opponents, which is not entirely fair. From this pespective, the Rocking Rebels Eindhoven have more compassion for the friendly southerners than for the contemptuous Yankees.

Dutch WIC flag
6. Extremist abuse:
The fact that this flag would be racist is purely motivated by the fact that extremists abused it at the time of their racist acts (eg Dylann Roof, the Charleston gunner) and is completely separate from slavery and oppression and the suffering people has been affected as a result of slavery. Because the Zwastika was banned in 1995, the Hindus and Buddhists have also been deprived of a symbol in the past, but because WWII was only 50 years ago and many could still take offense at the swatika symbol, this understandably did come through. Due to the ban on the Swastika, racists have switched to other symbolisms, including the rebel / confederate flag that was readily available. (the swastika and the racists own symbols were at that time hard to get)
The ban on the rebel flag, however, relates to a slavery tragedy that was much longer ago, and has virtually nothing to do with the now controversial rebel flag. Or is it referring to racial segregation and the Jim Crow laws and the Black codes, where the United States overturned the equal rights clause of the XIV amendment? However, this happened under the flag of the United States and took place well after the Civil War!
If our flag is banned, racist extremists may switch to the following symbolism, while a large group of others is again needlessly deprived of a precious symbol. Racist idiots do not deserve to be placed on a pedestal by affirming that a flag that originally belongs to others will now be seen as their symbolism, and allowing improper use of the flag to ban a flag than discouragement of its use by lawful users.
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