| Date(s): | July 1899 |
| Location(s): | DAVIDSON, Tennessee |
| Tag(s): | African-Americans, Migration/Transportation, Race-Relations, War |
| Course: | “Rise And Fall of the Slave South,” University of Virginia |
| Rating: | No votes. |
A conflict ensued in Nashville, Tennessee in 1899 when the confederate reunion and the return of a regiment from Manila occurred simultaneously. The president of the local United Daughters of the Confederation firmly opposed the use of the United States flag at the reunion. Her protest proved unsuccessful. Although the United States flag was displayed, the Confederate veterans “marched “under old battle torn rebel flags intertwined with the stars and stripes'' (Ayers, p.332). Through this powerful statement the veterans expressed their belief that the United States was just as much the Confederacy as it was the Union.
Racial tensions were highlighted by this display of southern supremacy at the event that brought together Confederate soldiers and Manila regiments. Black soldiers fighting in the war with Spain further hurt race relations in America. The African American soldiers in these southern states found themselves surrounded by the prejudice and hate of white men for whose country they were fighting. African American soldiers were encouraged by Booker T. Washington to volunteer for the army. They viewed the chance to join the army as an opportunity to prove their patriotism and solidify their place in America. Upon arrival in Florida and parts of Georgia before deployment to Cuba the reality of deep-seated southern racism was revealed.