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Confederate Flags Have NC History

Flag of the Confederate States of America (November 28, 1861 – May 1, 1863).";

Current discussions about the place of the Confederate flag on the American landscape raise questions about its presence in North Carolina. The flag most people recognize as the Confederate flag does not fly at the state capitol in Raleigh. But as often as twice a year, another flag that represents the Confederacy is briefly raised over the building. 

What’s called the First Confederate national flag flies in place of the state flag on Robert E. Lee’s birthday and on Confederate Memorial Day. North Carolina Historic Sites director Keith Hardison says the temporary displays are based upon public requests by groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an arrangement authorized by the state legislature in 1961.

In the 1980s, the state switched from the better known battle flag to the national flag. It has horizontal red and white stripes and a blue square on one corner and resembles the current state flag.   

For more on the history of Confederate flags in North Carolina, we turned to Dr. David Goldfield, a professor of history at UNC Charlotte.

Mark Rumsey grew up in Kansas and got his first radio job at age 17 in the town of Abilene, where he announced easy-listening music played from vinyl record albums.