Introduction

Different symbols of historical events, groups, political parties, etc. can never avoid the ever-changing interpretations of scientists, researchers, teachers, students, or any individuals in any period in the past, present, or in the future. For example, if we think of the swastika, everybody has a picture in their mind, mostly related to the horrific happenings during WWII, the Nazis, the death camps, suffering and dying Jewish people. However, the usage of this symbol originates from the ancient times, from India and its meaning is ‘to be good’. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he had done thorough research on several symbols, and he had found the swastika in a Buddhist book and had chosen it for his evolving party. 

What I am going to analyze in this semester is how one symbol can be agitating, unifying, offending at the same time during different periods. The origin also has to be taken into consideration, the meaning of the symbol both for the inventors and for the opponents, the interpretations of the symbol in the aftermath decades, centuries. 

My subject is the so called Confederate Flag, the battle flag of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. It carries several different connotations for today’s men and its status as a symbol have also evoked various feelings during the 19^th and 20^th centuries too.