The current flag, with its miniature stars and bars set on the red, white and blue banner, is a symbol of slavery and oppression to some, state pride and independence to others. And to still others, it's just a piece of cloth. To the people touring the park, it seems to represent history, and history can be good and bad. That line blurs near the edges, but the center is clearly a black and white issue. An issue that returns, time and time again, to slavery.
Historians disagree, vehemently, as to slavery's precise role in the Civil War.
In Mississippi, slavery undeniably played a huge part in the decision to secede, and then to fight. The declaration of secession listed a few reasons, including lack of representation, but by far the most prominent was slavery. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of the commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by the imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization.