The southern states fought for the freedom of their individual states from Great Britain, the same as the northern states. The key word is, of course, states. Forrest Gump is a fictional caricature of a southerner; he's not a racist, but a bumpkin and an idiot, a common view of we, folks who speak with a southern accent by the folks in the north. The north won the war, and like most victors, has gotten to write the history. The Confederate flag no more stands for racism than does the Delaware flag.