Confederate flag should be taken down in public places

Before I start, I'd like to bring your attention to the fact that I am only rebutting points made by my opponent in round 2 as to keep the debate fair. I have not read round 3, and if I fail to address any new material brought out by Jellytoast in round 3, then I'm sorry. REBUTTALS: 1. Slavery is the main cause of the Civil war. Many people all over the country, about 38% percent (study to be found in "Sources") to be more exact, believe this. However, this is demonstrably wrong and a gross over-generalization of historical events: there were many reasons for the succession of the Confederacy and the following war, non of which were slavery alone. The South succeeded for these three reasons: Northern unconstitutional behavior, Northern taxation, and the Antebellum period. 1. The North was partaking in unconstitutional behavior before the Civil war, and this is where slavery comes into the discussion. No where in the constitution does it name slavery and the right to abolish it to be written to the federal government, but does say in the tenth amendment that any right not explicitly granted to the federal government in the constitution is to be granted to the individual states. The North made repeated attempts to violate this throughout the Antebellum period, resulting in this reason being the official reason for succession. 2. The North, in an attempt to protect local businesses in the North, levied protective tariffs, taxes places on imported goods to raise the price of imported goods so that citizens will be forced to take their business to local companies, for a short lesson in protective tariffs, see the "Sources". The problem with this is that most Southerns at this time were extremely poor and couldn't afford the higher price of Northern businesses as good as they could goods from Europe, so when the North succeeded to levy these tariffs against the South, many Southerners became even poorer as they were forced to turn to Northern businesses. 3. The Antebellum period was a period of great turbulence in American history, the period between our founding leading to the civil war in which the North became more industrialized and outlawed slavery, and the South continued to become more and more agricultural and began to rely on slavery to support their economy. This period resulted in a LOT of political tension and restlessness that burned a line of gunpowder straight to the Civil war. The Confederacy did not succeed to protect slavery, but rather their rights to protect it. It is important to realize that the Confederacy was not a racist movement, but a movement mostly comprised of racists, and there is a very important distinction to be made there. The flag isn't inherently racist, and I'd go as far as saying that the people that claim that it isn't racist are actually more knowledgeable to the Civil war than most. As previously stated, the most popular opinion is what matters, not EVERONE's opinion, because it is impossible to please everyone, because there could be actual people who think the flag stands for Lou Gehrig's disease or something silly like that. Most people see the flag as a symbol of Southern pride instead of racism, as I have proven, so the few will have to accept the popular opinion as they do live in a democratic society. I think it should be an obligation for Southern states to fly the flag on their capitol lawns as a symbol of a proud culture. 2. Because the meaning of flag has extended well beyond it's original meaning, the treasonous nation of the CSA, the actual CSA should almost be completely discredited from the modern flag to fit the modern viewpoint. An example of this would be the swastika, originally a symbol of good luck, now most popularly regarded as a symbol of the Nazi party, this is the reason you don't see the swastika pinned up next to a four-leaf clover on Saint Patrick's Day. If the swastika becomes a symbol for German pride a hundred years down the road, then I'll be all for flying the swastika over Berlin, because it is not what it DID mean, it is what it DOES mean. 3. And because the Confederate flag no longer means the CSA to the common man, but more a symbol of pride and culture, it also no longer means allegiance to the traitors of America. Because the flag has come to symbolize the South and the Southern ideal of "we're not gonna take it"; it is a symbol of love for the home of the Southerners who fly it, and that home is not just the South, with the sweet tea and chewing tobacco, but all of America. CONCLUSION: The Confederate flag, because of what it has become instead of what it was, is harmless and inspiring to the majority. And because it is so for the majority, it should fly over the democratic lawns of each Southern state until such a time as the majority see it as a symbol of hate and racism, because it is the public opinion that makes a flag anything. I would like to wish good luck to my competitor and thank the audience again for taking time from their day to read this all through. VOTE CON! SOURCES: A poll from the PEW Research Center about how people see the Civil war, the statistics on their opinion of the cause(s) of the war is found on that last little quarter, you'll see what I'm talking about when you get there. http://www.people-press.org... A lesson on protective tariffs: http://apps.irs.gov...