Southern Culture on the Rise . . .

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An Open Letter from one of our Readers, William Moore
Sir, we thank you for your passionate expressions of liberty!

A while back someone asked me why I displayed the Confederate flag, and if I thought doing so was compatible with my voluntaryist beliefs. This person apparently did not know much concerning the cause of the Confederacy, so this is my response to that individual:

In the years leading up to the American Civil War, men lived in a relatively free society; government interference was almost non-existent, especially after Andrew Jackson destroyed the power of the National Bank in the 1830s. America in the mid-19th Century was as close to a voluntaryist/anarchist society as it ever had been. Even with the approaching war, America was still basically a society of self-governance. Were there flaws? Of course! Anyone who believes a purely Utopian society can exist is fooling themselves. But even acknowledging that a voluntaryist society could not be implemented without blemish, I absolutely believe it to be the best system of government for society to operate within.

With Lincoln's election, the real despotism began. A federal, tyrannical administration raped the nation of self-governance, and those freedoms taken have never been restored. If one reads the writings of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and other Confederate leaders, it becomes apparent that the Second War of Independence was fought for the right of self-governance. Only 7% of the South's population owned slaves; the other 93% were not going to give their lives in order than plantation owners could continue to keep other men in bondage. Slavery was already coming to an end, and by 1880 would have ceased to exist without Lincoln's interference.

The secession movement originated as a response to the threat of oppressive government when Lincoln was elected (sound familiar?). It was a movement that rejected the authority of a tyrannical leader who cared nothing for the rights of the individual. Secession was a stand for Freedom, not just for the rights of white Southern plantation owners, but for ALL men. In fact it was General Lee, along with Jackson and other Confederate leaders, who first proposed black men could fight for the Confederacy and thereby secure freedom for themselves and their families before Lincoln ever proposed allowing Negroes to join the Northern ranks.

Besides the thirteen states that seceded from the Union, the Cherokee Nation also fought in the Confederate Army. Along with the Cherokees, the Creek, Choctaw, Catawba, Seminole, and Chickasaw Nations all supported the Southern cause. These Indian Nations did not own slaves but believed Southern Independence would secure them the rights of self-governance and freedom for their own people.

While I will never pledge allegiance to any flag, the Confederate National Flag and Confederate Battle Flag will continue to fly at our residence – and in my heart! To me they are symbols of a fight that must still be fought. Things must drastically change if we are to return to this type of society before Lincoln's War of Northern Aggression destroyed our civil liberties.

It is my hope that one day the fire of Freedom will once again stir within the souls of men and that a generation will arise that loves freedom more than the comforts of "slavery." A generation that is willing to do more than debate the problems and rise up against the power of the bank; a generation that realizes that wars are not won at the ballot box; a generation that will not rely on politicians to secure their inalienable rights. I hope for a generation that has the courage to secede from a Federal government that has entangled itself in every aspect of our lives.

In closing, I declare my support for the same principles the South went to war to defend: the right of self-determination without government interference. So with that said, YES, my love for the Confederacy, along with its causes, are very compatible with my voluntaryist philosophy. To this day, the Confederate Battle Flag stands as a universal symbol of resistance to tyranny. Wherever modern conflict has waged, the Battle Flag has been sighted flying with pride and support for those fighting against an oppressive government.

Freedom is once again being strangled by tyrannical men and women. In order for freedom to survive we must not only be courageous, but be willing to make the sacrifices our ancestors did in defending true principles and assert our right to live of life of true freedom.

– William Moore