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CRS INSIGHT
Display of the Confederate Flag at Federal Cemeteries
in the United States
May 4, 2016 (IN10313)
Related Authors
" Laura B. Comay
* Scott D. Szymendera
Laura B. Comay, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy (lcomay(dcrs.loc.gov, 7-6036)
Scott D. Szymendera, Analyst in Disability Policy (sszymendera(dcrs.loc.gov, 7-0014)
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Park Service (NPS), and the Department of the Army all
administer federal cemeteries that sometimes display the Confederate flag. There are 147 national cemeteries in the
United States. The VA, through its National Cemetery Administration (NCA), administers 131 cemeteries. The Army,
in the Department of Defense (DOD), administers 2 national cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and Soldiers'
and Airmen's Home National Cemetery. Another 14 national cemeteries are maintained by the NPS, in the Department
of the Interior. In addition, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) operates 25 American military
cemeteries in 16 foreign countries. The NPS, the VA, and the Army all have policies concerning the Confederate flag's
display. Following the June 17, 2015, shooting deaths of nine people in a historically black church in Charleston, SC,
the display of Confederate flags at federal cemeteries came under scrutiny.
National Park Service Policy
The NPS policy (NPS Director's Order #61 and related reference manual) allows the Confederate flag to be displayed in
some national cemeteries on two days of the year. If a state observes a Confederate Memorial Day, NPS cemeteries in
the state may permit a sponsoring group to decorate the graves of Confederate veterans with small Confederate flags.
Additionally, according to the NPS reference manual (p. 33), such flags may also be displayed on the nationally
observed Memorial Day, to accompany the U.S. flag on the graves of Confederate veterans. In both cases, a sponsoring
group must provide, place, and remove the flags as soon as possible after the end of the observance, all at no cost to the
federal government. At no time may a Confederate flag be flown on an NPS cemetery flagpole.
Following the shootings, the NPS asked its concessioners and other partners to voluntarily end sales of items that solely
depict a Confederate flag, and also issued a policy memorandum stating that Confederate flags shall not be flown in
units of the National Park System or related areas, except where the flags provide historical context. However, the
memorandum did not address NPS policies for the display of Confederate flags at national cemeteries.
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Comay, Laura B. & Szymendera, Scott D. Display of the Confederate Flag at Federal Cemeteries in the United States, report, May 4, 2016; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc855735/m1/1/: accessed June 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.