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Confederate flag on state capitol grounds

JEFFERSON CITY - A sign of the Civil War that sparked protests in South Carolina has shown up on Missouri's Capital grounds.

A new Civil War historical marker prominently displays the picture of a confederate flag on state capitol grounds.

The marker erected by the Natural Resources Department depicts the role of the state capitol during the Civil War. It shows the leading Union and Confederate protagonists and the flags of each side.

While the confederate flag is only displayed on about six inches of the approximately 3 foot marker, some question if a Confederate flag has any place on the capitol property.

"It shows a lack of priority when the rest of the country is trying to forget about the insanity of slavery and the concepts of slavery forever," said Rep. Quincy Troupe, D-St.Louis.

Troupe said government should not waste resources on Civil War markers because they do not give a true history of what the Confederacy really stood for.

"If they want to revist the Confederacy then they need to revisit the Confederacy from a perspective of reparations for black people," Troupe said.

Jim Denny, Missouri state historian, wrote the text for the marker. He said he does not believe the depiction of the confederate flag on the sign is a problem, but it would be if the flag was flying over a public building.

He said a Department Civil War advisory board believed the best way to interpret the many small battles of Missouri would be to put out a series of approximately 50 Civil War historical markers, instead of commemorating several small parks.

Denny said so far the Department has not had any comments on the marker.