While we produced a lot of heroes, Ohio also produced Copperhead seditionists like Clement Vallandingham, Alexander Long, and George Pendleton, along with several confederate generals.
Ohio was the third most populous state at the time. Of course it wasn't monolithic - today's California has plenty of MAGA extremists, but its still thought of as a liberal stronghold.
When push came to shove, Ohio fought to end slavery.
Which is a brag, right? I always thought it was cool we were on the correct side of history, but goddamn do a lot of people around here seem to disagree.
For context, I live and work between Geauga and Ashtabula counties.
I’ve been living here in Ohio for about 8 years now, and I absolutely understand how you feel about being on the right side of history just for people today to sport the confederate flag. I’m from WV, which was “born” to be part of the north. But that doesn’t stop people from thinking the confederacy represents WV. And I truly do believe much of it has to do with just doing what everyone else does in your town/area, but there just comes a point when people aren’t even trying to make sense.
I’m from Ohio, the part that borders WV. I can see wv from my childhood bedroom. I try to make this same point to everyone who claims the confederacy was their “heritage” no matter what side of the river they’re from. Ohio was part of the north, and WV broke away from Virginia to join ~the north~. It never gets through to anyone….
Raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Lived in Stockport, Ohio for 12 years then job transferred me to Mobile, Alabama. I laugh when my friends in WV and Southern Ohio refer to themselves as southern… They have no idea what true “southerners “ are.. white, black, red and yellow.. Completely different then up North. Complete strangers greet you at the pump or walking down the street. Polite and genuinely friendly. No matter what brands of clothing you or they have on.
I live in the Chicago metro now. People sometimes poke fun at my “accent” for sounding a bit southern. I always refer them to people actually from the south lol. If me and someone from Alabama spoke side by side they’d realize that I have no accent 😂
Same. We had houses in the area that were on the underground railroad, were in the path of Morgan's Raid, and had the only Civil War battlefield in the state close by. And I still see the traitors' flag being worn by the descendants of people who died at the hands of the soldiers fighting under it whenever I've gone back to visit.
Also a WV transplant, though all I did was move across to the other side of the river lol. It doesn't matter if it's WV, OH, or PA there's always someone confused about what the heritage in this area is and cosplay southern seditionist because so many others do.
Seriously how many people from the southern border of PA call themselves southern. Like dude you’re on a northern state
Ohio also played a fundamental role in the Underground Railroad.
I've accidentally run into the grave of Vallandigham here in Dayton.
Was looking for another grave and his was nearby. Pretty hidden. In the old part of the cemetery and off the path.
You can go to Lebanon (near Cinci) and see the hotel where that dummy Vallandingham shot himself on accident. Sometimes, the stars align just right and the trash takes itself out!
Ohio heritage is stomping that flag into the ground. Ohio sent more troops to combat the rebellion than any other state.
Ohio heritage is Ohio native Uncle Billy Sherman burning that flag and everything it stands for to ashes.
Ohio native Grant performatively emasculating Lee Appomattox was pretty cool as well
There is a behind the bastards series on Robert E Lee and my god that man was such a pathetic, indecisive asshat. He could not articulate or make up his mind at all, either in person or in his writings. Some of what we learned about him in school was absolutely false and at best misleading. He was not a genteel southern man who hated slavery (I believe he may have written these words, however they did not match his actions - he beat the shit out of escaped slaves) and he stated that he never wanted to fight Virginians (he didn't actually spend that much of his life in Virginia and yes he not only fought fellow Virginians but also other family members who weren't idiots and remained Unionist - Lee was one of the few who went Traitor in his family and his family fucking hated his ass for it lmaoooo).
He worked for the federal gov't as a solider after going to West Point and did not want to join the confederate movement initially. But he had two major problems. His father was once in George Washington's inner circle during the Revolution for being like an 18th century special forces militia badass equivalent but after the war became a deadbeat with mountains of debt because he was very bad at land speculation. When Robert was born his father was often on the run and then ended up in debtors prison eventually. So nobody trusted or liked that family for Roberts entire childhood.
Part two to this is that he married into a wealthy family and the father in law didn't trust him with the family property or money, so he didn't get anything when the FIL died. However the FIL was also an idiot and overvalued his properties and made Robert responsible for paying off the FIL's grandkids with money that apparently existed on paper but did not in practice because, again, apparently these rich people are bad at running businesses and land speculation.
So Robert, both owing lots of money to kids in his wifes family AND with a chip on his shoulder his whole life about being this downtrodden progeny of someone formerly glorious and instrumental to fighting for America he decided his best shot at redeeming himself was to join the confederacy to attempt to become a member of Jefferson Davis's inner circle, a "Washington confidant 2.0" if you will. A war hero.
He was a decent mid-level artillery and recon commander but had no experience or authority commanding whole-ass armies, which was why he was utterly defeated at Gettysburg. Hell one of his own former students at West Point literally told him it was a bad idea to charge uphill and Lee did the ol' Captain Sobel from Band of Brothers "let's just get 'em" tactic and, spoiler alert, he lost like a third of his forces after that decision. Turns out ordering people to run uphill with lots of gear for a long distance while getting shot at by people who are stationary, can see you, and are expecting you is a bad fucking move.
Why anybody would willingly choose uphold this rag tag group of racist idiots is beyond me, unless they see themselves as part of it in which case lots of deprogramming will be needed. But we have the Lost Cause mythos and white-washed history to thank for that, because even after losing the civil war they had to keep white people on top. Funny how all the confederate monuments were all built a generation or two AFTER the war ended. hmmmmm.
Yea the entire concept of the confederate generals being brilliant but were massive underdogs is such bullshit. Confederate General Braxton Bragg has a fort named after him, he's famous for pissing off his subordinates so much that they threatened to quit.
Apparently when Lee invaded Pennsylvania a bunch of soldiers deserted because they were like "why are we fighting up here". It sounds like there was some serious stupidity during that battle.
"Marching Through Georgia" should be our state song.
Ohio was also the birthplace of both Sherman and Grant, the two generals who arguably did the most for the Union's efforts
That's right. The only OVI this guy's heard of is on his driving record.
They don't hate black people, they just love their heritage of enslaving black people and committing treason to defend their right to do so.
It's basically saying, 'no offense, but...'
“I’m not racist, but…”
After all the civil war was about states' rights. /s
The funny/sad part is that their ancestors probably fought for the Union. They’re just too poorly educated to know that.
It's like Germans waving the Nazi flag and saying it's heritage.
This flag actually didn't become a symbol until the end of segregation. It was used to let people with darker skin know they weren't welcome in "white" neighborhoods.
I have cans of tomato sauce that have lived longer than the Confederacy. So much for “heritage.”
Exactly. If ‘heritage’ is actually what’s important to him there would be a flag from some European nation on there.
Welp, Grant and Sherman were from Ohio - does that mean torching anything flying that flag is heritage and not hate?
torching that flag would be patriotic
And Phillip Sheridan lived in Somerset
Yeah, and McPherson was from Clyde.
Yep, let's get going.
What utter horseshit to fly the traitor’s flag - over 35,000 Ohioans died to save the Union. Asshole doesn’t even know his own fucking history.
Southeastern Ohio is full of people with Confederate flags on their vehicles. I don't understand it.
They go across to Kentucky and cosplay as rednecks on the weekends.
Anyone from southeastern OH flaunting a confederate flag is a redneck. No cosplay about it.
I'm named after one of them.
I didn't realize Lucifer fought for the Grand Army of the Republic ;)
It was the Bible that told slaves to obey their masters. I'd certainly never tell somebody to accept their own subjugation.
Now now, we know facts and history doesn’t mean anything to these people.
This is Ohio. Uncle Billy would not be happy.
We kept his sword in our proud state!
Heritage of owning people as property. That’s still racist. I’m sick of being around confederate garbage. We had a black president longer than the confederacy existed. It’s time to move on.
They obviously identify as a loser since that’s not a winner’s flag
Maybe I can shed a little light? I grew up in an ACTUAL southern state, conservative middle class Christian.
In high school I briefly fell in with a new friend group and purchased and wore a confederate flag shirt and was very “proud to be southern”.
Now I will say some things here that may be hard to understand from the outside: 1- I NEVER considered myself racist, never consciously disliked Black people, and absolutely agreed slavery and racism, Jim Crow and the KKK were all objectively terrible. 2- I grew up being told about how crappy northerners treated the south after the war (reconstruction/carpet baggers), experienced how awful people from outside the South looked down on us and thought we were all stupid. 3- in school we were taught that the North wanted to control the South and raise taxes and basically abuse the southern states financially. The whole “we want to continue to own slaves” as the MAIN reason for succession? Totally glossed over.
So you have kids being told the rest of the country hates them, thinks they are stupid and mocks them, while simultaneously failing to educate those same kids about the truth of the confederacy. Now some of those kids will mature and have the realization that “this is awful, and not who I want to be as a human” (including myself) but others will find more people who think the same, plus actual overtly racist stuff. And that will snowball over generations and then, voila: ignorance on a license plate.
Aside: please don’t worry- I have been doing self-education on my internalized racism (and homophobia and misogyny) since I left home and started college, especially lots of work trying to root those subconscious issues out and teach my own kids the values I wish I’d learned as a child.
Now as for how it got to Ohio? That is more confusing.
Ohio has a somewhat significant southern influence as many people in my grandparents generation moved north from Appalachia for manufacturing jobs. My mamaw has flown a rebel flag off her back porch in Mansfield, OH. I also had ancestors who fought in stonewall Jackson’s brigade.
Now that being said, I always correct my mamaw when she starts on the lost cause bullshit of states rights/northern aggression etc. It really burns people up when I remind them that WV was created because everyone there wanted back into the Union. And when she and the other old timers start talking about it I’m never afraid to jump in and add that Ohio went down there and kicked y’all’s ass.
My grandma was a Mamaw too! It’s definitely less common to hear since I left the south.
Her neighborhood is called ‘Little Kentucky’ because in the 50s and 60s so many people moved to that neighborhood from KY and WV to work in the steel mill.
It’s wild that schools are allowed to rewrite history in the same country.
Every time i see the south will rise again i chuckle because it will probably end the same way it did the first time.
Yes, it’s very frustrating for people like me, who love our home states but also are embarrassed by many of the people and policies in them. It’s very much a “this is why we can’t have nice things” vibe for me, and both heartbreaking and infuriating.
A few years ago I was involved in a union organizing effort in NW Pa. I was partnered with a great guy from Alabama. He asked me one day what the deal was with all of the Confederate flags. He said “that’s a southern thing and I don’t see this many at home”. I didn’t have a good answer for him.
As someone where half my heritage is from the South, the other half from Ohio...my southern ancestors were split right down the middle of supporting the Confederacy and supporting the Union. And those that supported the union risked their lives hiking through enemy territory, across enemy lines, to reach the north to enlist and fight for the union.
Those that fought in the confederacy, were mostly POS and wouldn't have recognized that flag.
They Confederate General, turned Civil Rights Activist who designed that flag; PGT Beauregard, is spinning in his grave seeing someone display it today. (For those who don't know PGT Beauregard later rejected all imagery of the Confederacy and despised people who glorified it).
Your story highlights precisely why the modern-day confederate sympathizers and apologists are so wrong about displaying that flag.
There is already a flag that represents the southern heritage of those who did not support or benefit from the confederacy. It's the flag of the United States of America.
Those that fly the confederate flag are truly the lowest of the low and support the lowest of the low of from that time period.
And the "Confederate Flag" that they fly wasn't even an official flag. Ever. Outside of very small battle groups like the army of Northern Virginia. It was popularized AFTER THE WAR by the KKK, in the early 1900s.
There is nothing more un-American than flying a traitors flag. People need to stop and think about it for a minute.
Had one of my students wear a sweatshirt to school with a confederate flag. He and his friend loudly argued that the flag represented the original 13 colonies, not the confederate state. I could not convince them that nobody else thinks that or believes them, that it was a hate symbol representing slavery, and finally that it was offensive. Opted for admin to discard the sweatshirt and make him pick alternate clothing out of the lost and found box. There are too many loud people online who can convince the idiots and cast offs that they are part of a cool and edgy club by wearing this shit. Just raising idiots who watch a YouTube video and think they know better.
Interesting. My heritage involves pouring water into gas tanks of trucks owned by racist morons.
I think my heritage involves taking broken beer bottles to Pinkerton men, but I can’t easily be sure
It’s a RAM, it will break down regardless.
Especially since we’re a union state…
The heritage of that flag is defeat. Other countries don’t tolerate flying traitors’ flags. One of the reasons the US is great is because you won’t get imprisoned for stupid vanity plates. You’re free to put people on blast that you’re both very ignorant and racist. I appreciate knowing who the idiots are. So glad they self identify.
If they truly cared about, “heritage”, they would never have the audacity to display that flag in Ohio. We are the birthplace of some of the big names that destroyed the confederacy. What a fucking insult to all of those, who gave their lives, to end that “nation” of traitorous slavers.
They do know ohio won the civil war and burnt the south to the ground, I hope.
There are some confused people who think that flag is a symbol of their Southern heritage, they don't seem to realize that it is a representation of slavery and white supremacy.
They're not confused. They know what the flag stands for - and what the comfederacy stood for, and they want to fly it while acting persecuted.
This, I think it’s the playing dumb card. Gaslighting at its best
And surrendering. And losing. It’s a loser flag that flown by losers. The only heritage it represents is that the people who flew it, were losers, literally.
It's really a scarlet letter for ignorance.
They know
Their southern heritage... Of owning people.
There's no other heritage associated with a "country" that last for 4 years.
Always interesting when the only “heritage” they can claim is slavery and human trafficking, but they claim “no hate!!!”. Love the hoop jumping required for that one 😬
The same people probably complain about Black History Month.
And to think I live in a union state all these years. Guess I’m lost….
Explanation: racists are fucking stupid
But if the heritage is rooted in hate, then it’s both
Sore losers
It’s my heritage to slash all confederate tires.
Simply a heritage built upon hate.
Again, the South made it very clear and stated it often in letters, editorials, books, speeches, the articles of secession, and in every venue available at the time that it fought to create a slave republic built upon white supremacy.
It is ungodly insulting to display that flag to the over 34,000 Ohioans that died to stop the Confederate effort.
There were more abolitions groups in Ohio than any other state, we were very instrumental in the drive to end slavery. Ohio also had the highest # of volunteer soldiers fighting in the Civil War. My heart breaks to see confederate flags anywhere, but especially OH.
That heritage is hate.
Hate cloaked in heritage.
Ohio wasn’t part of the 4 year long confederacy? Since when isn’t Ohio considered “the south”? /s
His heritage = losers
Racism. Next question.
A Heritage of Hate
A heritage of white male supremacy
but… that heritage is hate, sir?
Hateful Heritage.
“It means I hate democrats not black people”.
The last flag they flew was a white flag.
Victim Complex
The explanation will only make you stupider. You don’t want to be on this person’s level.
Does this mean our northern heritage is that we beat them in a war and can boss them around now still?
I wish a proud Yankee would kick his ass and dump him on the Virginia border.
I don't condone this, But where is the outrage for people who fly other country's flags? Waiting for the downvote train.
Heritage. They love sleeping with their cousins.
In Ohio no less. My great great uncle was killed at Gettysburg while fighting for the union army and was from Athens. I wonder what he'd say to this.
Some people’s heritage is hate. They don’t want to know it any differently.
Not Ohio’s heritage and not the USA’s heritage.
At least that license plate acknowledges that someone could be confused.
"I don't hate my slaves - I beat them all equally."
Nothing like worshipping a loser’s flag from a faction staffed by and mismanaged by losers.
…in a Union state. That helped to kick the ass of said losers. 🤣
I bet he likes to post reactionary Facebook comments like, ”Checkmate, Lincolnites!” and envisions himself a historian and tactician.
Rephrasing racism *
Heritage "of" hate.
The owner is an asshole.
As someone whose family fought for the south but now lives in Ohio…. Fuck this racist POS.
Away down south in the land of traitors…
Explanation? Ignorance. Spotted the same near W Milton (near dayton). Like, you asses don’t realize OH was Union, not Confederate? Columbus BLUE JACKETS… Blue, like GD Union army. Ignorance.
In Troy Ohio, north of Dayton there is an orange Dodge Ram truck with a huge confederate flag painted on it. It sort of looks like the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard. I have never seen it up close but it’s trashy from a distance for sure.
Ofc its a ram
Slow-rain County.
No, it’s definitely hate. Nice try though.
If you just want to represent a team that doesn’t win, we have much better options here in Ohio.
I wonder how many people heard the song Drowning by Hootie and the Blowfish. The Cracked Rear View album sold 20 million copies worldwide.
Trouble with the world is we’re too busy to think about it, alright
Why is there a rebel flag hanging from the state house walls?
Tired of hearin’ this shit about heritage not hate
Time to make the world a better place
If you have to explain before anyone asks, it’s probably wrong.
Dog whistle.
I came to this comment section, looking for a fight, but instead I'm just proud 🤣🤣
That truck owner most likely had no ancestors fighting in the civil war either.
There is a group of people who feel that the Confederate flag is a symbol of family and regional history and pride, and will tell you that they don't see it as a symbol of hate. Whether or not their feelings on that are true or if it is just a smoke screen is a can of worms, I have no intention of messing with, as I am not in the internet psychology business. But irregardless of what they feel it means, it fails to take into account what the flag means to a lot of other people who will be seeing it on the day to day and who may trace their family history to suffering under that flag.
CAVALIERS. Ohio sent a massive amount of infantry, artillery , and CAVALIERS to end the war. Ohio WON the war, not just fought in it.
Plenty of Ohioans also jumped ship and joined confederate armies. This guys great grandpa probably fought for CSA West Virginia or some shit.
They have a heritage of racism.
So, if I set that on fire, could I claim heritage?
In fucking OH no less. I feel like I've seen more of this lately. lmao yes "heritage", you know, fighting against the right to own people as property and also specifically keeping an entire oppressed class of people below white people in all aspects of American society. Not only is "heritage not hate" a poor attempt to paint slavery in a positive, peaceful light it is absolutely ahistorical and not what the records reflect. This person should read the Articles of Secession for, say, South Carolina. They literally mention the US Govt's hostility to the institution of slavery. Couldn't get any clearer than that, really.
My neighbor in Cleves had this on her porch. Recently they just changed it to the flag. I guess its just hate now lol ugh these people
avon, ohio, a place famous for its southern heritage
They probably grew up in the south and their teachers told them that the civil war was about “states rights” and the north being big bad bullies and they conveniently never got into what the southern states wanted the right to do.
He's not racist, but...
Not hard to understand. Not everyone from the south belongs to the kkk . Just like not everyone from the north used children as cheap labor or servitude
Hope someone has a simple tool to remove this? Heritage? Really? Slavery? Heritage? Lynching? Heritage?
The saddest part of this is... People are really taught this in schools in the south.
It is like talking to someone who grew up watching nothing but fox news... Where you saying the (and I kid you not I had texans say this to me straight faced) "war of northern aggression" had nothing to do about slavery....
At some point you just have to write people off and despite how nice they are otherwise, just accept that they aren't recoverable back into civilization and need to just be cut off as much as possible.
oh yes Ohio. totally the most Confederate state there is. definitely not know for birthing the generals, who actions if done today to destroy the Confederacy, would have been considered war crimes. Yes. definitely didn't burn down Atlanta
I can explain it pretty easily actually, that guy is an idiot
Use to travel for work to North/South Carolina for a couple of years. I swear I’ve seen more confederate flags in Ohio than I did in those states.
to be fair, it’s more taboo in the south due to the history. or was. up north, it was always a joke and brushed off so people got away with it. but, there’s hillbillies everywhere…
In the first half of the Twentieth Century, there was a LOT of migration from the South to Northern states. Many were poor people of color, but a godly number were poor whites. Many of whom believed the Lost Cause bullshit. My family doesn't, but my mother's family is from Kentucky, with my grandfather moving to Cincinnati in the 30s - which also has a stupidly high amount of sympathy for the Successionists during the Civil War. Ohio has a complicated history when it comes to race relations, the Civil War, and the Lost Cause Myth.
Hate not heritage
Imagine being proud of shitty heritage like that.
Fine, it is your heritage and your heritage is owning slaves.
As a Georgia man currently living in Ohio I see nothing wrong with it. Dude could be from the south. Who the hell are yall to sit there n judge anyone?
They are judging the 'Heritage' of a failed nation-state that lasted a total of four years and was forced to unconditionally surrender after trying to secede cause they couldn't keep slaves.
There is no heritage. It was four years.
Heritage?? 🤣🤣 The confederacy lasted 4 years 🤣 that isn’t heritage 🤣🤣🤣
Explanation: they’re racist trash
The "explanation" is that, at best, they're ignorant about their privilege. But most likely, they're racists, and proud of it.
An invasive weed from a warmer climate?
Easy, they're lying. They know exactly what that flag means.
The amount of people defending slavery after they get called out about what the war was really about is terrifying.
What the fuck is wrong with you people?
“Bullshit Lies. Not Heritage.”
Lack of Functional Brain Cells is the explanation.
Where can I find confederate flag toilet paper?
Sore loser.
I knew it would be at Menards just by the title. 99% sure they don't live in Avon.
The only thing worse than a guy in a Fiat Charger is ….. a guy in a Fiat Ram!!!!!!!!!
GD Italian garbage pretending to be America
Again, you all seem to forget that America was founded by religious extremists and social outcasts that where basically cast out of England lmao! Not much has changed
It's (someone else's, not Ohios) heritage, first off. Fucking wannabe..
Second off, the heritage* this person speaks of, is slavery. How is that not hate? There's no explanation that would suit my needs..
Lack of education and critical thinking I would assume.
Ya'll are giving way too much credit to this person for being educated or even understanding what the flag really represents. This guy was raised on Dukes of Hazzard, and probably has no clue that this flag represents slavery. To him, it's about the Southern culture and defending yourself from government oppression. Not saying he isn't probably at least slightly racist, he probably is, I'm just saying that isn't what this flag means to a lot of the people who fly it. I'm from Southern Ohio and the people I know who have confederate flags aren't doing it to condone slavery, they were brought up by generations of Southern families who taught them that the North destroyed their families and way of life. They never got the details of what that way of life was, just that the South was beaten down and the flag represents the old days. Reddit has an amazing number of people who absolutely think that every white person is a card carrying racist. I know a couple, but for the most part, even the people that I know were raised that way have evolved.
Honestly I'm surprised that truck is in one piece.
They’re stupid.
That’s not even the confederate flag. That’s Virginias Confederate battle flag.
Yep. They never understand that. The actual flag of the Confederacy ( there were several) that was the one christened the "Stars and Bars was two red horizontal stripes with a white stripe and a circle of stars in a blue field similar to the US flag. The one they like to fly WAS adopted for a short time ( although completely square) but then changed to that design in the corner of an all white field ( fitting huh?) That trash they try to flaunt started as a Naval ensign and then adopted as the battle flag of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
"I'm racist, but I'd like to be a nice guy too."
What's the rear license plate read? If he is out there, might as well be out there.
A heritage of hate and brutality
Am from Alabama. Going back generations, and I think the confederate flag and it's hangers-on are ridiculous. These people need to enter the 21st century or just see themselves out the back door.
They're a history buff. /s
They probably can’t read.
Great great grandpappy died for the hate, that's his heritage
Too many Ohioans think the Mason Dixon line is the Lake Erie shore.
His pappy had pappy that had pappy. And nobody learned a damn thing.
Pretty sure it’s hate.
Come on, people. Give the guy a break.
Ram Trucks come with those pre-installed. He probably just forgot to remove it. /s
Inbreeding does some wierd shit to your mind
That flag’s heritage includes slavery and being raised in battle against American soldiers.
Why do people want to have a Losers I will never understand. They LOST.
Somebody called his last flag racist… so he labeled this one not racist, just that his family is
Ohio requires front plates, so that may be an out-of-stater.
Not anymore they got rid of that in the past few years
Love that Ohio stupid
Heritage of being traitors and losers, they are proud of the lazy bastards that couldn’t be bothered to work for a living when they could buy slaves to do the work for them. Inbreeding is also a big part of their heritage
Their feelings are hurt over the war of southern correction
hey i just thought of a reason front license plates should still be required
They moved from Dixie to Ohio?
Yee Haw!
The modern assignment is not the only one. To. Some that is exactly what it means.
Explanation is spelled with letters in the picture
Considering that isn't the Confederate flag, ask them to explain what heritage it represents. It's also not the battle flag.
Someone is very confused about which state they live in. Our flag had 33 stars during the war for abolition.