If The South was a nation during the time of the War for Southern Independence, at what point did it cease being a nation? The answer: it didn’t. The Confederate States of America was, of course, the political arm of the Southern nation, but the South was a nation long before the C.S.A. was formed, and it remains a nation to this day.

Before we continue, we need to define exactly what a “nation” is. Let’s start by looking at an example. The Cherokee Nation is a group of people living within the borders of the united States of America, yet they are known as a “nation”, and are recognized as such by law. So what makes them a nation? Is it a geographical area with clearly defined borders? No. Did they win through military victory? No, they were conquered militarily just as The South was. Is it international recognition? No, they have no ambassadors and conduct no foreign policy. No, it is none of these. What makes the Cherokee Nation a nation is that they are a homogeneous group of people sharing a similar background with a generally common ancestry.

Let’s look at how the word “Nation” was defined in the earliest published dictionary – Websters American Dictionary of The English Language published in 1828:

1. A body of people inhabiting the same country, or united under the same sovereign or government; as in the English nation; the French nation. It often happens that many nations are subject to one government; in which case,the word nation usually denotes a body of people speaking the same language, or a body that has formerly been under a distinct government, but has been conquered, or incorporated with a larger nation. Thus the empire of Russia comprehends many nations, as did formerly the Roman and Persian empires. Nation, as its etymology imports, originally denoted a family or race of men descended from a common progenitor, like tribe, but by emigration, conquest and intermixture of men of different families, this distinction is in most countries lost.

Can anyone reasonably claim that those of us who recognize The South as our homeland are any less of a nation than the Indian tribes? Not anyone who has given the matter serious and open-minded thought. There are, of course, those who will scoff at the notion of The South currently existing as a nation. Their reasoning however, is little more than a churlish, “You lost – get over it”. The South may no longer have a political structure and an agreed-upon name, such as the Confederate States of America, but we are still a unique people who fit the definition of “nation”. Just as many of the Cherokee people have spread out from the reservations and others now live among them, they are still here; they still exist as a nation. The Southern people have lost the high concentration of a homogeneous people that we once had, but we are still here.

Once we understand that we are a nation and not just a scattering of people whose ancestors shared the dream of a new and politically independent nation, then the symbols of our heritage become not just dusty relics of history, but the national symbols of a distinct people. They become a national symbol every bit as much as the eagle is the symbol of the united States of America.

What then becomes the point of actually being a nation? In today’s world, not very much. In tomorrow’s world, perhaps something very different. In the mean time, we need to understand that the Confederate flag and other symbols of our Southern nation should be treated with the same respect and honor that the flag of the united States or any other nation is given. It is true that, although the Confederate armed forces formally surrendered, the government never surrendered, never formally disbanded, and was never dissolved. It just faded into the mist, essentially becoming a dormant government. Does that mean that “The South Will Rise Again” as a reconstituted Confederate States of America? No, probably not – at least not as a political entity. The spirit of The South is another matter though. As long as the Southern nation lives in the hearts of those who cherish the honor and the chivalry and the beauty of Southern culture, then The South has indeed risen.