The Confederate States of America were formed 1861 by several Southern states almost entirely because the rest of the country opposed their attempt to strengthen and expand the practice of slavery – their most valuable asset in the lucrative industry of cotton.
You’ll hear people talk about other reasons like “disunion” and “Southern Nationalism,” but in 1865, after the Civil War, The Confederacy crumbled and, coincidentally, slavery was quickly abolished.
The lovely folks on the losing end of that battle had a special little flag to represent their secession, and to this day people around the US are allowed to proudly wave it and wear it.
But it just got a lot harder for them to buy it…
On the heels of the tragic shooting in Charleston South Carolina (a photo of the shooter holding a gun and a Confederate flag was quickly circulated after the event), Walmart made a statement on Monday indicating that they would no longer be carrying any merchandise that displayed the Confederate flag.
Sears, who owns Kmart, also said that although its does not sell any Confederate merchandise at its stores, it will prohibit the sale of such items sold by third party vendors through its websites.
Then, surrounding an announcement from South Carolina’s Governor that she wants the Confederate flag taken down at the State’s Capitol, CNN reported that Boeing, BMW and Michelin – three companies with massive plants in the Southern state – were all in support of her proposed change.
Amazon and eBay, who facilitate the sale of a great deal of Confederate merchandise (like handbags!), have yet to comment.
Hey, it only took 150 years and a few massacres, but it looks like they’re making some more progress down there.
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