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. Due to this change in meaning, the controversy surrounding the flag has grown exponentially. Although many dispute the original meaning of the flag and that it is a historic cultural symbol 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. The 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 provoked many racist attacks (Coates, 2015). Most of these attacks involved the presence of a Confederate flag. Recently, Dylann Roof committed a horrific attack on nine African American worshipers at their local church during a Bible study (Henderson, 2015). He claimed to have been motivated by the Confederate flag. Unfortunately, this violent attack constitutes a perfect example of the racism symbolically represented by the Confederate flag. However, some southerners would argue that the original meaning of the Confederate flag had little to do with anything (Prince, n.d.). The flag was initially seen by many Southern natives as a symbol of Southern heritage and pride (World Book Student, 2016). As mentioned above, the flag was flown during the Civil War, when the southern states were trying 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 hatred. If a historical symbol fuels hatred, violence and fear, then the display of such a symbol would only misconstrue the meaning of the land of the free. Although there are many pros and cons to the Confederate flag, it is simply right to ban the flag. . One could argue that banning the flag would deny free speech, 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 should not be an issue, just like religion and gender should not be an issue. The flag is a silent way of saying that we agree with racism and the secession of our country. The flag should therefore be banned. The controversy surrounding the Confederate flag has been controversial for many years. Whether one believes in the historical importance of the flag or its negative symbolism is just an opinion. However, even though the Confederate flag has many advantages, the disadvantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages.