Just saw this on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/24/georgia.flag.reut/index.html

I found this particularly interesting:

"Georgia's Confederate emblem harks back to the Civil War era, but it was added to the state flag in 1956 by white lawmakers who were determined to maintain segregation in the state in defiance of the burgeoning civil rights movement."