Racist symbols and reparations
Subtitle: philosophical reflections on vestiges of the American Civil War
By: George Schedler.
Series: Studies in social, political, and legal philosophy
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Lanham, Md
Language: eng
Number of pages: 152
Subjects: Flags -- Confederate States of America.; African Americans -- Claims.; Compensation (Law) -- United States.; Racism -- United States -- History -- 19th century.; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- African Americans.; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Moral and ethical aspects.; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Flags.
Description: In this book, George Schedler offers fresh moral and legal perspectives on two legacies of the Civil War: the adoption of the Confederate battle flag by Southern states and the question of reparations to African Americans. Schedler demonstrates that constitutional objections to the Southern states' display of the battle flag are without merit, arguing that either the flag is not a racist symbol or there is a similar case for attaching racist significance to the Stars and Stripes.

Drawing on scholarship of the Civil War and its aftermath, the author concludes that the Confederate battle flag can actually be seen as a multicultural symbol. Schedler's analysis of reparations focuses on the principle that whatever the enslaved would have earned and enjoyed had they not been enslaved should determine compensation. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of the Civil War, moral philosophy, and constitutional law.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-149) and index.