The Confederate flag was used symbolically during the Civil War. For Southerners, the flag represented a source of Southern pride as well as a way to remember fallen Confederates. As the Civil War progressed, the meaning of the flag began to change. Currently, the flag is used as a symbol of racism. Because of this change in meaning, the controversy over the flag has grown exponentially. Although many argue the original meaning behind the flag and that it is a symbol of historical culture that should not be forgotten, the flag should be banned due to its depiction of racism and state secession. The Civil War was a battle between the Northern states and the Southern states. Southern states wanted to secede. The Civil War was partly about slavery. Therefore, many use the flag as a symbol of hatred towards people of different origins, especially African Americans. The idea that “the Negro is not equal to the white man,” or white supremacy, has caused many racist attacks (Coates, 2015). Most of these attacks involved the presence of a Confederate flag. Recently, Dylann Roof committed a gruesome attack on nine African American churchgoers at their local church during a Bible study (Henderson, 2015). He said he was motivated by the Confederate flag. Unfortunately, this violent attack provides a perfect example of the racism symbolically represented by the Confederate flag. However, some Southerners would argue that the initial meaning of the Confederate flag had little association with anything (Prince, n.d.). The flag was initially seen by many Native Southerners as a symbol of Southern heritage and pride (World Book Student, 2016). As previously mentioned, the flag was flown during the Civil War when the Southern states attempted to secede from the Northern states. For this reason the flag is symbolic to Southern natives because it symbolizes the beliefs of their ancestors; beliefs for which many have lost their lives. Therefore, the flag represents a symbol of Southern pride, and with that being said, all Americans should be allowed to live in a country where they feel safe and free from hate. If a historical symbol fuels hatred, violence, and fear, displaying such a symbol would only misinterpret the meaning of the land of the free. Although there are many pros and cons to the Confederate flag, it is only for banning the flag. One could argue that banning the flag would deny freedom of expression, but hanging the flag also means that racism is acceptable and that the pain, suffering, and cruelty endured by African Americans does not matter. The color of a person's skin shouldn't be an issue, just like religion and gender shouldn't be an issue. The flag is a silent way to say that you agree with the racism and secession of our country. Accordingly, the flag should be banned. The Confederate flag controversy has been an issue for many years. Whether you believe in the historical importance of the flag or the negative symbolism of the flag is just an opinion. However, even though there are many pros to the Confederate flag, the cons seem to outweigh the pros