The ups and downs of South Carolina's Confederate flag
Originally raised above the South Carolina Statehouse dome in 1961 in celebration of the Civil War centennial, the Confederate flag withstood 54 years of controversy. Its presence, defended by some in the state as a symbol of their Confederate heritage, was reviled by others as a reminder of a history of slavery and hatred.
In 2000, the South Carolina Legislature approved the bill moving the flag from the dome to the Statehouse grounds amid a boycott by the NAACP, but the presence of the flag on state grounds remained a polarizing symbol.
On June 17, 2015, nine people were shot at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. These racially motivated murders sparked new outrage over the existence of the confederate flag at the Statehouse and a nation called for it's removal.
Governor Nikki Haley made a formal appeal to the SC legislature on June 22 and after impassioned debate in both the SC Senate and House, the bill was signed on July 9 and the flag was formally removed from the Statehouse grounds on July 10, 2015.
(Kelli Grant/Yahoo News)
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