SOUTH CAROLINA: This Day in History: July 10, 2015: Confederate flag removed from SC State House grounds

COLUMBIA, SC (WCSC) – The Confederate Battle flag was removed from the South Carolina State House grounds in 2015, weeks after a shooting at a Charleston church shocked the nation.

The flag came down from its place on the State House grounds on July 10, 2015, after years of protest.

Gov. Nikki Haley signed a bill the day before authorizing the move following renewed support for its removal in the aftermath of the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting and the subsequent arrest of the gunman. Photos came to light after his arrest that showed him posing with the Confederate Battle flag.

“My hope is by removing a symbol that divides us,” Haley said. “We can move forward as a state in harmony. And we can honor the nine blessed souls who are now in heaven.”

South Carolina first flew the flag over the statehouse dome in 1961. At the time, it was to mark the 100th anniversary of the Civil War.

It remained there until the year 2000, when a compromise moved it to a pole near a Confederate monument in front of the State House. Flag supporters called it a symbol of southern heritage and states’ rights.

The flag removed from the State House was moved to the Relic Room at the South Carolina State Museum alongside other artifacts important to the state’s history.

–live5news.com