Indeed.
The Confederate battle flag was pretty much put in the closet for many decades after the Civil War. A small resurgence came about in the late 1800's and early 1900's -- when the Jim Crow laws, literacy tests, state mandated segregation - and basically full stomping on the Civil Rights of blacks in the South came about.
That short bit of time after the 15th Amendment blacks were allowed to vote, and it was Federally enforced - was gone.
For example, have a glaring look at raw disenfranchisement of the black population circa early 1890's, Mississippi -
In 1867, Miss., African Americans made up 56% of all Registered voters. (~66,000)
In 1890, they made up 25%
In 1892, they made up only 3%.
By 1900 --->
0.4%
Source: Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888-1908 (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies)
http://books.google.com/books?id=b8...sement in the South, 1890 mississippi&f=false
Look at the other states as well. Pretty amazing.
At this same time, a resurfacing of Confederate "nobility" came about, and United Confederate Veterans, the United Daughters of the Confederacy set about to rewriting the history of the War.
They started portraying the CSA as being about things like the tariffs, and States' Rights, and tried to whitewash the slavery aspect out of it altogether - and to the extent slavery existed, it was a benevolent kind, with gentle Mammies, generous, loving slaveowners, and happy happy slaves.
They did this to justify Jim Crow and the White Supremacy that brought out KKK and other paramilitary organizations that were terrorizing and intimidating the hell out of the the blacks at that time.
The Confederate Flag saw it's full resurgence during the Dixiecrat era, and later, when men came home from WWII, and tried to reintegrate into the South -- and roundabout the same time Civil Rights activists started pushing for equality.
That flag was trotted out in abundance then - and it's purpose was to intimidate and reinforce boldly :
White Supremacy Reigns.
It's not about "bringing back slavery" as I've heard some people strawman -- It's long been a symbol of White Supremacy, and has been used as such for a long time.
Do some yokels just fly it because they are ignorant of this? Sure. Doesn't make them any less ignorant.