The Confederate flag is off the SC Capitol grounds. Was it called for?
On the afternoon of July 10, a large crowd descended upon the South Carolina Capitol building in Columbia. All were there to see the Confederate battle flag come down . The flag, which was placed with the monument to fallen Confederate soldiers during the Civil War (1861-1865) became the subject of scrutiny after the June 17 Charleston Church Shooting, where Dylann Roof is charged with entering Emanuel AME church and killing nine people, including SC state representative Clementa Pinckney . What followed was a quick deliberation in the SC Senate, but a marathon debate in the House that eventually led to the decision to remove the flag form the Statehouse grounds and into a museum. What the House debate showed though, was that even after 150-plus years, the Confederate battle flag is still a dividing issue. The question is, one, what does the flag actually mean? Southern pride or a symbol of hate? The second question of course is was this takedown warranted? I'll get to th