The Confederate Flag and Racism (or so you thought)

Long time ago we were told in school that the Union were the good guys and the Confederates were the bad guys.  Naturally, since the Union was fighting to keep slaves out of newly acquired territories, and the south feared that such government regulation meant that the slaves would be outlawed in their states as well, one would come to that conclusion.  First off, I'm glad the country is one and that slavery was abolished.  Slavery is one of the worst ways humans can treat other humans, however the Civil War wasn't fought to free the slaves in servitude at the time.  It was fought over outlawing slaves in the new territories.  That's not what I'm here to talk to you about.  What I'm here to talk about is the Confederate Flag being viewed as a racist symbol, and how that is completely and utterly incorrect, and how the school system has brainwashed the minds of millions into believing it.  History isn't so cut and dry, or black and white.  If it was, I wouldn't be interested in it.  Here's a little explanation for you:

First off, the "Confederate Flag" isn't the Confederate Flag.  The flag we know as the Confederate flag was actually the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.  It was never adopted by the Confederacy.  In fact most regiments flew the flags that came from their state.  You may be asking yourself, "what's the difference?"  Here's the difference. 

Recognize this?  Probably not.  This is the first adopted National Flag of the Confederacy.  Now look at this one.

This is the flag the Union was using during the first part of the war.  They may not seem that similar, but read the accounts of the First Bull Run and see that there was confusion among the armies as to who's flag it was that they were shooting at.  You have to think about being shot at and trying to see through smoke to understand the mindset of those that were there.  Not only that, for generals who were watching from far away, the two flags looked the same and caused confusion among them when trying to issue orders.   In 1862, one year after the Civil War broke out, a new flag was being decided on by General Beauregard, the first general for the Confederates, who needed to design a new flag for the Army of Northern Virginia which was the primary force for the Confederates.  He needed a flag that looked completely different so that any confusion would be eliminated.  The flag he came up with is the flag we call the Confederate flag.  It was never adopted by the Confederacy, but used by many armies in the Confederacy with certain variations depending on the army.  The design had a couple of different meanings.  The meaning that I accept is that the 13 stars on the flag mean the 13 original colonies and that the blue "X" is actually on the stars.  This is their way of saying NO to the original colonies and that they reject the union and support forming their own country.  After the Civil War, the flag was adopted by the KKK and later by neo-Nazis to symbolize their racist cause, however the flag was never meant to represent racism, nor promote it. 

 Here's one thing to think about when seeing the "Confederate Flag" and viewing it as racist:

Recognize this?  This is our current US flag which has 50 stars.  I assume you all knew that.  Now, think about this. 1959 was when Hawaii became our 50th state.  1964 was when the Civil Rights Act was signed into law.  To be more exact, August 21, 1959 was when Hawaii came into the union.  The Civil Rights Act was enacted July 2, 1964.  The Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861 and ended on April 9, 1865.  How many years did the Civil War last?  3 days short of 4 years.  More importantly, how long did the Confederate flag exist?  About 3 years.  How long was our current flag, with all 50 stars, around before the Civil Rights Act was enacted.  4 years and around 11 months.  Almost 5 years of racism under our current flag, and yet it is the Confederate flag that is considered racist.  Wouldn't that, by these standards, mean that our current flag is a symbol of racism?  I truly believe that it isn't a racist symbol, but I'm merely pointing out the hypocrisy in that type of thinking.  Not only that, the flag we salute today, was the symbol of a nation that supported racism for longer than the entire Civil War.  I'll let you dwell on that. 
I'll also let you in on a little secret.  Abraham Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation which, as we were taught in school, freed the slaves.  However, look closely at the document.  The document only outlawed slavery in the 10 states that were still in rebellion in 1863.  It didn't even apply to the 4 slave states that stayed with the union, nor did it apply to Tennessee who did secede from the union but was mainly under union control by 1863.  Tennessee was exempt from the proclamation.  Why is this interesting?  Because it was a political move on Lincoln's part.  Because those 10 states that were still in rebellion weren't controlled by Lincoln.  It was merely for show, and the union at the time ridiculed the act because it only applied to those states.  Slavery was still technically allowed in the northern states.  It wasn't until December of 1865, 8 months after the war, that slavery was finally abolished in the entire country.  The war didn't end slavery.  It ended secession.  In order for those 10 states to come back into the union, they had to agree to adopt the 13th Amendment.  Also, keep in mind that it was the North who demanded that each black/slave be counted as 3/5 of a person when it came to representation in the House of Representatives.  Race was never an issue before, during and for 100 years after, the Civil War.  So, while Lincoln may have attempted to end slavery, he never once, nor the federal government, attempted to end racism.  This is the reason I chuckle when I hear people say that Lincoln fought for the slaves.  According to history, not exactly.
In no way am I saying that I wish the Confederacy had won, or that racism should be allowed.  I know some who will read this post will believe that that is what I am saying.  Frankly, those people are too ignorant and closed-minded to be reading this blog anyway, and I don't need them.  I am reaching out to those who wish to expand their knowledge and understanding.  I commend you for taking the time. 
In the post before this one, I made the remark that people find history boring.  I found history interesting when I stirred the pot.  Made people feel uncomfortable.  People don't like to stray far from their comfort zone.  That area outside of the comfort zone is where I dwell.  I'm never satisfied with any answer given to me.  I need to know why and how. 
History has never been black and white, and it never will be.   Knowing all points of view, even if you go against the majority, will let you see through the wool that has purposely been pulled over your eyes.  Just because a certain view has the majority or is popular, doesn't make it right.  Before Civil Rights, the majority was racist towards blacks.  Were they right?  Who were the few that helped change it, and how long did it take?