The 1956 Georgia Flag Change: The DATE Argument – Commentary by Greg Pearson
Webmaster's Note: For some years now, it's been trendy to assert that the 1956 Georgia flag change was motivated by racial malice and/or to demonstrate
defiance of federally ordered school desegregation. These lies have been repeated so often that, unfortunately, many folks believe them and do
no further research into the truth. We here at GHC present the truth here in the hope that enlightened Georgians will defend the truth
when they hear or read the BIG Lies repeated.
Steve Scroggins rebuts the BIG LIE in Georgia Trend
It is crazy that we're wasting time debating this issue with malicious liars and the misinformed, but certain lies and distortions are repeated
so often, we must rebut them from time to time. First, let's look at the views of the time in context.
The change to the 1956 flag was first proposed by Judge John Sammons Bell. As a boy, he attended Confederate Veterans reunions
with his grandfather. He advocated the change to honor Georgia's Confederate veterans, because the St. Andrews Cross was more
recognizable as a Confederate symbol. Bell emphatically denied any motivation other than a desire to honor and memorialize veterans.
Judge Bell is quoted as saying, "Anybody who says anything to the contrary is wrong or perpetuating a willful lie." [ More on the '56 flag ]
Was Judge Bell a segregationist? Yes, but you know what? So were the overwhelming majority of the people in Georgia; no, make that America,
in 1956. The vaunted ladies of the UDC who opposed the flag change? Segregationist. The 32 assemblymen who
voted against changing to the 1956 flag? All segregationists of one type or another. The editorialist of The Macon
Telegraph who advised against the 1956 flag change in their 6-Feb-1956 issue? Also, segregationist.
There were varying degrees of segregation thought from the supremacist White Citizens Council to the more mainstream "separate but equal" and other variations of it. Describing
this range of views is really another story.
The point is that the people pushing both sides of the flag issue in 1956 all favored maintaining segregation in one form
or another. Segregation was the status quo and very few Americans or Georgians favored ending it in the mid-fifties.
They would NOT have used "code words" such as "culture" and "heritage" as so many writers suggest because there was
no need for such "codes." If you were an elected official and you wanted to get more votes you would have shouted the
fact that you supported segregation (and many did), and if you wanted a special bill to pass with broad public support
you would have somehow linked it with support for segregation!
In no instance did any supporter of the Georgia Flag change of 1956 ever associate that change with segregation or link
it with defiance to the federal government (another popular election point). I have read every newspaper article
from 1955-1957 from Georgia newspapers kept at the federal archives in Athens, Georgia, and none ever associate the
1956 State Flag with these issues.
Gov. S. Marvin Griffin (1955-1959)----who was a champion of segregation and would support it in any way possible---
never even lifted a finger to help assure that the flag change would be enacted. If the flag was changed for
segregation reasons he would have pushed the change with all his might just to show defiance to Washington.
The very fact that no politician of any ilk ever associated the 1956 flag change one way or another to one
of the most visible political/social issues of the day that had broad voter support (namely segregation)
lends credence to the fact that the State Flag was changed for memorial purposes only.
One did not carry on a "whisper campaign" for segregation in 1956! To argue otherwise is
illogical.
The "DATE argument":
Many argue that the flag change occurred so soon after Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) that the two issues
have to be related. That's just about the dumbest argument one can make.
Let's see what other pro-South and southern memorial items were occuring at this time besides the flag change.
[NOTE: All references found in the Georgia House Journal.]
- 1952 -- HR 250-9286 (pp 1250,1331,1689,1815,1828) To Propose and urge the creation of a Condederate Memorial Park at
Stone Mountain. Adopted 11Feb.1952
- 1953 -- HB 160 (pp 12,131,134,171,374,381) To provide pensions for widows of Confederate Veterans Adopted
4 FEB. 1953
- 1953 -- SR 65 (pp 1251,1260,1481,1491,1689) The Confederate Veterans' Home property was given to the Georgia military department Adopted 1Dec.1953
- 1955 -- HR 35 (pp114,134,759) A resolution urging the Governor to purchase Stone Mountain because, "the incomplete
and unsightly condition of the Stone Mountain Memorial has long weighed upon the pride and civic concience of all
Georgians." and the acquisition of Stone Mountain by the State would insure, "a lasting Memorial." Adopted 18Jan.1955
- 1955 -- HR 48 (pp155,200) Recommended the placing of a bust of General "Stonewall" Jackson in the Hall of Fame in
New York City. Project was begun by the UDC and had the, "whole hearted endorsement," by the State. Adopted 20Jan.1955
- 1955 -- HR 145 (pp513,680,690,759) A resolution designating December 9th of each year as "Uncle Remus Day" Adopted 15Feb.1955
- 1955 -- HR 195 (p800) A resolution honouring 'Miss Anne Collins as, "Miss Deep South of 1954" Adopted 16Feb. 1955
- 1955 -- HB 14 (pp32,37,51,81,82) A bill to establish the Georgia State War Veterans' Home Adopted 7June1955
- 1955 -- HR 22 (p90) "A resolution naming the new bridge across the Wilmington river "Memorial Bridge" in honour of
deceased veterans." Adopted 17June1955
- 1956 -- SR 30 (pp 449,468,1135,1140,1378) a resolution creating the "All-south Centennial Committee of Georgia" Adopted 17Feb.1956
- 1956 -- SR 48 (pp1068,1174) A resolution to preserve the Confederate Flags at the Capitol. Adopted 15Feb1956
- 1956 -- HB 188 (pp 236,306,309,431) A bill to abolish the State Division of Confederate Pensions and Records. It
was amended to put all records with reference to, "the glorious men of the Confederacy," under control of the
Department of Archival History. Adopted 26Jan.1956
- 1956 -- HB 241 (pp 297,581,587) A bill to dispose of the Confederate Soldiers' Home and to provide for the care of
widows now living there. Adopted 2Feb.1956
- 1956 -- SB 98 (pp 598,602,710,719,856) This is the bill that created the wonderful 1956 State Flag. Adopted9Feb.1956
- 1957 -- HR 217 (p1027) A resolution to commend the Confederate Veterans' Sons (SCV) for their efforts to preserve
our glorious heritage. Adopted 20Feb.1957
- 1957 -- HB 610 (pp 876,1036) A bill to increase the amount of pension given to widows of Confederate Veterans Adopted 19Feb.1957
- 1957 -- HR 234 (pp1100,1179) A resolution to commend the formation of the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial
Association and encourage them (it) to finish the monument. Adopted 22Feb.1957
Numerous State funded Historical Markers were placed around Georgia in the following years:
1953-40, 1954-249, 1955-380, 1956-125, 1957-341, 1958-285, 1959-238, 1960-42, 1961-14, 1962-33, 1963-22, 1964-18, 1965-7
. That's a total of 1,794 markers placed between 1953 and 1965. Of those, 1,373 were placed between 1953 and 1959. You might
reasonably conclude that history and memorials were "on our minds" during those years.
The upcoming centennial of the war was on the minds of many Americans. In 1957, the U.S. Congress issued a joint
resolution creating the Civil War Centennial Commission to "coordinate the nationwide observances." Georgia officials
expected a lot of war-related tourism during the observances, so the vast majority of the above historical markers are related to the War for Southern Independence.
These markers, the Stone Mountain memorial and the 1956 flag were all efforts to memorialize
Georgia's veterans, Georgia's people and to present southern pride to all visitors.
Do you see a picture emerging here? The centennial was a "big deal" across the country and Georgia was preparing
for it in many ways. The 1956 state flag was just one of them. Georgians still had a lot of pride in and reverence for their Confederate
veterans and the Cause for which they fought.
Now, let's go back to the "Date Argument" for a moment.
In 1956, an effort was also made to change the State tree from the live oak to the pine tree (7Sept.56). The change failed to pass. Does
anyone suspect that this attempted change was motivated by racial malice and/or defiance of the federal government? Why not? It happened in the same year
as the state flag change! Following the same twisted logic of the Date Argument, it follows that the state tree change was OBVIOUSLY motivated by racial malice and defiance. Why are the folks
who claim to be offended by the 1956 Georgia flag not also claiming to be offended by pine trees?
The above list of memorial and legislative actions can probably best be put into perspective by the following 1993 quote from Denmark Groover.
On March 9, 1993, Groover took to the floor of the Georgia House to challenge then Gov. Miller’s proposal to change the 1956 flag. He admitted the obvious, that segregation was a heated topic in 1956, and added,
“But those who now say that the legislature was obsessed with the matter of segregation to the exclusion of all other
matters know not of what they speak…”
Duh! The "DATE Argument" is clearly a very simplistic and ignorant argument to advance. But that doesn't stop writers all over Georgia from
repeating it over and over to this day as if it were an established fact. How can we ever get through to these people? Should we repeat the truth
for every time they repeat their lies and distortions?
The BIG LIE About Denmark Groover Rebutted
Greg Pearson lives in Manchester. The overwhelming majority of the research
for this commentary was compiled by Greg Pearson. Jeff Davis and Steve Scroggins also contributed.
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