--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any Southern nationalist movement…" description: "\"Any Southern nationalist movement, especially one that wraps itself in the Confederate flag, is going to be viewed with suspicion, given the historical..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/john-shelton-reed-21912_confederate_any-southern-nationalist-movement-especi_2340850.jpg" --- # Any Southern nationalist movement, especially one that… ![“Any Southern nationalist movement, especially one that wraps itself in the Confederate flag, is going to be viewed with suspicion, given the historical record.” quote by John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/john-shelton-reed-21912_confederate_any-southern-nationalist-movement-especi_2340850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/john-shelton-reed-21912_confederate_any-southern-nationalist-movement-especi_2340850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/john-shelton-reed-21912_confederate_any-southern-nationalist-movement-especi_2340850.jpg) > “Any Southern nationalist movement, especially one that wraps itself in the Confederate flag, is going to be viewed with suspicion, given the historical record.” [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Confederate symbols raise suspicion due to historic oppression, affecting nationalist movements. **In simple terms:** Symbols carry historical weight. Key Takeaway Recognize symbols’ impact. Themes history identity politics Mood reflective thoughtful Type historical political When to use this quote - political campaigns - public debates - education Key Concepts nationalism symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How do symbols influence identity? - Can heritage be separated from oppression? A Different Perspective Some view symbols as heritage, not oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confederate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederate/) [Confederate flag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederate-flag/) [Flag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flag/) [Flags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Southern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern/) [Southern Nationalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern-nationalist-5664589/) [Suspicion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion/) [Suspicion Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion-given-5664591/) [Wraps Confederate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wraps-confederate-5664590/) ## Related quotes > [South Carolina, as a matter of compromise, displays the Confederate flag on a flagpole in front of the state capitol. Because I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/south-carolina-as-a-matter-of-compromise-displays-the-confederate/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) > [I think that it's appropriate to have the Confederate flag perhaps in a museum, but it is not a unifying symbol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/i-think-that-it-s-appropriate-to-have-the-confederate-flag-perhaps-in/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [ \[Confederate flag\] it's a symbol of racial hatred. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/confederate-flag-it-s-a-symbol-of-racial-hatred/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think the ties to slavery and the terrible tragedy that followed the Civil War with Jim Crow and racial violence is closely linked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-ferris/i-think-the-ties-to-slavery-and-the-terrible-tragedy-that-followed/) [William R. Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-r-ferris/) > [For black folks, the Confederate flag represents the same thing that the Nazi flag represents to the Jews. There is absolutely no difference when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-page/for-black-folks-the-confederate-flag-represents-the-same-thing-that/) [Ken Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-page/) > [For me, the things like the Confederate flag - I just don't think that it does anybody much good, and it certainly causes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/for-me-the-things-like-the-confederate-flag-i-just-don-t-think-that/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [The people that don't want change, the ones that don't see how removing Confederate flag creates so much more opportunities for our sport to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-wallace/the-people-that-don-t-want-change-the-ones-that-don-t-see-how/) [Bubba Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-wallace/) > [Now, that doesn't mean that individuals can't have Confederate flags on their property. They have the right to do that. But again, it represents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/now-that-doesn-t-mean-that-individuals-can-t-have-confederate-flags/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [I don't fly the Confederate flag on my property, but I'm not going to try to belittle or embarrass anybody who wants to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stewart/i-don-t-fly-the-confederate-flag-on-my-property-but-i-m-not-going-to/) [Corey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stewart/) > [The only reason we used the Confederate flag was just because we were from the South, and we were proud of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate-flag-was-just-because-we-were/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [Anyone who says the Confederate Flag is a symbol of hate should be required to go to sensitivity training classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezola-b-foster/anyone-who-says-the-confederate-flag-is-a-symbol-of-hate-should-be/) [Ezola B. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezola-b-foster/) > [I live in the South; there are Confederate flags everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-live-in-the-south-there-are-confederate-flags-everywhere/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [In South Carolina, the Confederate flag flies high on countless flagpoles. Those who defend this practice by saying it is part of Southern culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/in-south-carolina-the-confederate-flag-flies-high-on-countless/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [ It's time for the \[Confederate\] Flag to come down, because it just doesn't represent who we are as a people, as Americans anymore. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hunter/it-s-time-for-the-confederate-flag-to-come-down-because-it-just-doesn/) [Jack Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hunter/) > [“The CSS Alabama’s captain, Rafael Semmes, was a devout Catholic who saw the Civil War as a religious struggle. He associated Northern Puritanism with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lees/the-css-alabama-s-captain-rafael-semmes-was-a-devout-catholic-who-saw/) [Andrew Lees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lees/) ## More by John Shelton Reed > [Drive a hundred miles and the barbecue changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/drive-a-hundred-miles-and-the-barbecue-changes/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [As long as there are Japanese tourists, there will be a market for the Old South.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/as-long-as-there-are-japanese-tourists-there-will-be-a-market-for-the/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [I do believe states' rights was a sound doctrine that got hijacked by some unsavory customers for a while - like, 150 years or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/i-do-believe-states-rights-was-a-sound-doctrine-that-got-hijacked-by/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [We could say that people who eat grits, listen to country music, follow stock-car racing, support corporal punishment in the schools, hunt 'possum, go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/we-could-say-that-people-who-eat-grits-listen-to-country-music-follow/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southerners are also like ethnic groups in that they have a sense of group identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southerners-are-also-like-ethnic-groups-in-that-they-have-a-sense-of/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [The South is like my favorite pair of blue jeans. It's shrunk some, faded a bit, got a few holes in it. it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/the-south-is-like-my-favorite-pair-of-blue-jeans-it-s-shrunk-some/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [But I still do believe that there are useful things to say about Elvis Presley, including what his own ordinariness as a poor Southerner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/but-i-still-do-believe-that-there-are-useful-things-to-say-about/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Why can I write 'South' with some assurance that you'll know I mean Richmond and don't mean Phoenix? What is it that the South's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/why-can-i-write-south-with-some-assurance-that-you-ll-know-i-mean/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [If you care to define the South as a poor, rural region with lousy race relations, that South survives only in geographical shreds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/if-you-care-to-define-the-south-as-a-poor-rural-region-with-lousy/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [There's an ethic that says: 'You don't run off to the church for the sacraments of salvation, you establish a personal relationship with God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/there-s-an-ethic-that-says-you-don-t-run-off-to-the-church-for-the/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southern barbecue is the closest thing we have in the U.S. to Europe's wines or cheeses; drive a hundred miles and the barbecue changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southern-barbecue-is-the-closest-thing-we-have-in-the-u-s-to-europe-s/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Dixie has just fallen to pieces. There are little patches of Dixie. But even in the heart of Dixie - in Alabama - Dixie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/dixie-has-just-fallen-to-pieces-there-are-little-patches-of-dixie-but/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southerners smile more than other Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southerners-smile-more-than-other-americans/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southerners will be polite until they are angry enough to kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southerners-will-be-polite-until-they-are-angry-enough-to-kill-you/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [The nature of the South is changing faster than the stereotypes are. Much of the South now looks like San Jose. Is it still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/the-nature-of-the-south-is-changing-faster-than-the-stereotypes-are/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) [Explore all 28 John Shelton Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) ## More Confederate quotes > [South Carolina, as a matter of compromise, displays the Confederate flag on a flagpole in front of the state capitol. Because I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/south-carolina-as-a-matter-of-compromise-displays-the-confederate/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) > [What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-m-talking-about-is-more-than-recompense-for-past-injustices/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [When you come to Montgomery, you see fifty-nine monuments and memorials, all about the Civil War, all about Confederate leaders and generals. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/when-you-come-to-montgomery-you-see-fifty-nine-monuments-and/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-h-stephens/its-foundations-are-laid-its-cornerstone-rests-upon-the-great-truth/) [Alexander H. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-h-stephens/) > [“An estimated 400 women disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War. Many were like Amy Clarke, who enlisted so she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/an-estimated-400-women-disguised-themselves-as-men-to-fight-in-the/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [“A rump group of rebel soldiers formed a colony west of Vera Cruz called Carlota, which soon burgeoned into a community of five thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/a-rump-group-of-rebel-soldiers-formed-a-colony-west-of-vera-cruz/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-do-you-call-a-co-worker-these-days-neither-teammate-nor/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [We are all naturally seekers of wonders. We travel far to see the majesty of old ruins, the venerable forms of the hoary mountains,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/we-are-all-naturally-seekers-of-wonders-we-travel-far-to-see-the/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [ It's time for the \[Confederate\] Flag to come down, because it just doesn't represent who we are as a people, as Americans anymore. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hunter/it-s-time-for-the-confederate-flag-to-come-down-because-it-just-doesn/) [Jack Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hunter/) > [...So Englishmen saw it. 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I'm saying very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-gable/disagreeing-with-the-fervent-patriotism-of-the-confederates-i-think/) [Clark Gable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-gable/) > [“As he reached the slight elevation he beheld the Confederate army sweeping down upon him. Their skirmish line fired at him, killing his orderly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-olney/as-he-reached-the-slight-elevation-he-beheld-the-confederate-army/) [Warren Olney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-olney/) > [In South Carolina, the Confederate flag flies high on countless flagpoles. Those who defend this practice by saying it is part of Southern culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/in-south-carolina-the-confederate-flag-flies-high-on-countless/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [It's hard when the worst people in the country are cheering, the people with the confederate flag, the people that do anti-Semitism on Twitter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerson/it-s-hard-when-the-worst-people-in-the-country-are-cheering-the/) [Michael Gerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerson/) [Browse all 186 Confederate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Any Southern nationalist movement, especially one that wraps itself in the Confederate flag, is going to be viewed with suspicion, given the historical record.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Shelton Reed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/any-southern-nationalist-movement-especially-one-that-wraps-itself-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confederate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/any-southern-nationalist-movement-especially-one-that-wraps-itself-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/john-shelton-reed-21912_confederate_any-southern-nationalist-movement-especi_2340850.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/john-shelton-reed-21912_confederate_any-southern-nationalist-movement-especi_2340850.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/john-shelton-reed-21912_confederate_any-southern-nationalist-movement-especi_2340850.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Any Southern nationalist movement, especially one that wraps itself in the Confederate flag, is going to be…” — John Shelton Reed", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Shelton Reed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Any Southern nationalist movement, especially one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/any-southern-nationalist-movement-especially-one-that-wraps-itself-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/any-southern-nationalist-movement-especially-one-that-wraps-itself-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```