Displaying Heritage: Southern Identity through the Georgia State Flag Controvers

As the country moved into the twentieth century, the view of the Confederate battle flag and its place in national memory has changed. This symbol, which became incorporated into the twentieth century white-southern identity, has struggled through the contentious memory of the Confederacy. The clashing narratives of the past and present take full form in the political speeches of prominent governors and civil rights leaders during the height of the Georgia state flag controversy in the mid-1990s. The paper uses the state of Georgia as a case study for the struggles of defining southern identity. Spanning from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, the fight to change the Georgia state flag exemplifies how deeply rooted the Confederate battle flag is to both individual and collective identity and memory. The related project, in partner with the Atlanta History Center, created a first-person female character who represents the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1955 for the Civil War exhibit entitled 'Turning Point.' The character not only humanizes the story of commemoration and memory, but also creates a connection to modern day discussions on proper Confederate commemoration.