{"id":1312,"date":"2014-07-17T09:26:58","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T13:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=1312"},"modified":"2024-10-02T13:16:30","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T17:16:30","slug":"flag-controversy-university-confederate-flags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/flag-controversy-university-confederate-flags\/","title":{"rendered":"Flag controversy at university | Washington & Lee University remove Confederate flags"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Washington<\/a>
Washington University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The motto of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, is \u201cNon incautus futuri,\u201d which means \u201cNot unmindful of the future.\u201d But the campus has had to be very mindful of the past in recent months because of a dispute over Confederate flags.<\/p>\n

The dispute, which was recently settled, began in April, when 12 law students at the university, named for George Washington and Robert E. Lee, petitioned the administration to \u201cremove all Confederate flags from its property.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The display of Dixie banners anywhere has been a sore point since the end of the Civil War, nearly 150 years ago. While some people see the flags only as historical reminders of the War Between the States, others see them as declarations of racism.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Lee Chapel. (from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In an initial response to the students\u2019 demands, the president of the university, Kenneth P. Ruscio, said that Lee Chapel, the on-campus resting place of General Lee, \u201cdisplays replicas of eight battle flags that represented different armies of the Confederate States of America\u2026.These replicas are designed for historical and educational purposes. I am aware of no similar flags displayed anywhere else on our campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the law students noted that \u201cduring orientation, we had to go inside Lee Chapel and sign an honor contract to uphold our honor according to the honor of Robert E. Lee. I\u2019m a native of Richmond. I know what it\u2019s like to remember the past. However, I didn\u2019t feel the racism and disrespect [then] as I did in being asked to uphold an honor that aligns with the views of Lee.”<\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/a>
Robert E. Lee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ruscio had hoped for a compromise, observing that \u201cthe fundamental question for us is whether people with different backgrounds, different experiences and different opinions can address difficult questions and\u2026strive, with mutual respect, to better understand each other and to find common ground\u2026.In the days ahead, I hope we each find that elusive balance between the courage of our own convictions and the humility that enables us to learn from others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, however, the president resolved the issue in the students\u2019 favor by removing the flags. He also apologized for the school\u2019s ownership of slaves more than 150 years ago. \u201cWe acknowledge that this was a regrettable chapter in our history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In response, one of the students remarked, \u201cI feel like we made a tremendous difference.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The motto of Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, is \u201cNon incautus futuri,\u201d which means \u201cNot unmindful of the future.\u201d But the campus has had to be very mindful of the past in recent months because of a dispute over Confederate flags. The dispute, which was recently settled, began in April, when 12 law… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[43,60,47,206,205],"class_list":["post-1312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-civil-war","tag-confederate-flag","tag-george-washington","tag-racism","tag-robert-e-lee"],"yoast_head":"\nConfederate Flags at Washington & Lee University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Flag controversy at university | Washington & Lee University remove Confederate flags\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/flag-controversy-university-confederate-flags\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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