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A Matter For Interpretation: An Inquiry Into Confederate Symbolism And The Florida State Flag, Nicholas Mignanelli, Sarah C. Slinger

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

Are the red bars found on Florida’s state flag a remnant of early twentieth-century nostalgia for the Confederacy? Who first proposed this design and why? What did this change mean to the citizens who witnessed it? This Article is an attempt to answer these questions by approaching them through the lenses of original intent and original meaning. In doing so, the Authors advance new strategies for decision-makers interested in uncovering the motives of those who first erected or affixed allegedly Confederate monuments and symbols.