CSA Flag Oppression and Slavery?

Isn’t the Confederate flag a symbol of oppression, since it flew over slavery? The Naval Jack, which most critics call “the Confederate flag,” never did fly over slavery. It was never a national flag of the Confederacy, and its use was confined to military ships and, in some western states, army units. Nor does the square Confederate battle flag have any association with slavery, since it also was restricted to use by troops under fire on the battlefield.

But, if critics argue that any Confederate flag is a symbol of oppression because it flew over a nation in which slavery was legal, then they must also be prepared to pull the Stars and Stripes off of every flag pole in the nation. The Confederacy tolerated slavery for just over four years, though the Stars and Stripes flew on slave ships and over a nation condoning slavery for almost 90 years, from its adoption on January 3, 1777, until the 13th Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865.