Maryland's Past Isn't Perfect But Our Flag Is Worth Defending

Governor Wes Moore brought renewed attention to Maryland's flag when he described it as a "contradiction" during a recent interview. He was probably alluding to Maryland's shameful history with slavery and Jim Crow, but his words were carelessly chosen.

Governor Moore was referring to the fact that one of the flag's two symbols, the red and white cross that fills two of its quadrants, was used by Marylanders who supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. The other symbol, the gold and black stripes that sit in the remaining two quadrants, was used by Marylanders who supported the Union side. Support wasn't an even split, and 65% of Maryland soldiers who fought in the conflict did so to preserve the Union. After the war, the symbols were joined together as a sign of reconciliation, a physical manifestation of a healing nation.

Governor Moore's ties to Maryland aren't as deep as many of his constituents, so it may be difficult for him to comprehend why people were offended by his comment. Like many people who weren't born in Maryland, I understand his problem. It took me a bit of time to recognize the flag's positive and prominent role, but it flies in front of my home now alongside America's colors.

Moore's lack of understanding was illustrated by a flippant social media post responding to the controversy. He supported the flag then downplayed the issue by telling people to "get back to work," a condescending way of insinuating that it was silly for Marylanders to be upset by his comment. Maryland's flag evokes a lot of emotion, and rather than dismiss the feelings of the people he serves, the governor should work to understand why his comment was controversial.

In a recent column for The Baltimore Sun Torrey Snow explained the history of our flag and perfectly framed the issues raised by Moore's comment. A hundred and sixty-five years ago a group of Marylanders chose the wrong side of history and fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. The symbol they adopted had existed in Maryland long before their appropriation, and it gives them power they don't deserve if we let their bad decision define the meaning of one of our state's oldest symbols.

Maryland's flag is rooted in the family heraldry of our first colonial proprietor, George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore. It's two prominent symbols, the red and white cross and the black and gold stripes, represent the maternal and paternal sides of his family and were part of his coat of arms. It's been associated with Maryland since the middle of the 17th century. In 1854 the legislature ordered the design of a new state seal based on Calvert's coat of arms. The seal incorporated the black and gold stripes and the white and red cross as parts of an official state symbol seven-years before the Civil War.

It matters that the symbol eventually used by southern sympathizers pre-dates the conflict. The red and white cross is not an invention of the Civil War. It was appropriated by a group of Marylanders to show support for the South without sanction or permission. The symbol existed in Maryland at least two-hundred years before their use and was never theirs to define.

Some symbols invoke such a negative response that their earlier histories can't justify their continued use. The black swastika in a white circle on a red background used by Nazi Germany is a good example. The swastika may be an ancient symbol, but there's no way for modern Americans to associate it with anything other than Adolf Hitler's abominable regime. The Confederate Flag invokes a similar response in many Americans who can't help but associate it with the defense of slavery. The red and white quadrants of Maryland's flag don't cause a similar reaction. In fact, the flag invokes the opposite.

Most Americans live in states with unremarkable and unrecognizable flags, conveying an unfortunate message of irrelevance in a country where states were meant to be meaningful and sovereign. The prominence of Maryland's flag, flown more frequently and in more places than would feel normal to most Americans, is a reminder that our state has agency over its own affairs. We've put the flag on bumper stickers, sports uniforms, key chains and in countless other places because it makes us feel good, invokes a sense of home and gives us something on which to rally.

A recent letter in The Baltimore Sun encouraged Maryland to change its flag "if it contained Confederate symbolism," suggesting the letter writer wasn't sure if it did but heard that it might. If it's necessary to educate people about why they should be offended by a symbol, especially if that symbol, like our flag, is held in high regard, then we're creating problems where none exist and damaging something good.

There's a cost associated with changing symbols because symbols are part of what makes a place feel like home. Sometimes these costs are worth it, especially when the symbols are causing more distress and division than joy and unity. That's not the case with Maryland's flag. Its red and white portions pre-date its use by Confederate sympathizers, and the dominant emotion that people feel when they set eyes on the flag doesn't emanate from its worst historical use. Marylanders are proud of their flag. It serves no productive purpose to chip away at that pride by trying to attach a new and divisive meaning to a well-loved symbol. There's enough in the world to be angry about and what we need desperately are more symbols that pull us together. If the flag were pulling us apart then the situation would be different, but it isn't, and the last thing we need is more controversy and discord.

It's fair to be skeptical of Confederate symbols and every American should have enough empathy to understand that symbols can affect people differently. We should have the grace to change symbols when we know they're inflicting harm. We should also, however, stand up aggressively for symbols that unite Americans and help us through our divided time. We're lucky in Maryland to have a flag so many people can rally around. We should guard that gift and take care not to undermine its power to unite and inspire.

The symbols on Maryland's flag have been associated with our state for almost four hundred years. That's a reminder of how old we are, how much we've grown, and how much we've been through and survived. Beyond longevity there are powerful messages of reconciliation and redemption embedded in our flag that should overwhelm any criticism. Reconciliation because the two symbols prove that enemies can become neighbors and redemption because America's only Black governor was sworn into office with Maryland's flag overhead. These extraordinary images, and of course the fun we have by inserting our flag everywhere, matters more than the short-lived appropriation of one of its symbols by a group of misguided Marylanders. No part of our flag belongs to them. They took the red and white cross without asking and we won't give them an honor they don't deserve by allowing them to define its meaning.

Colin Pascal is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs at American University. He lives in Annapolis.