CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The historic South Carolina city of Charleston has removed a statue honoring John C. Calhoun, an early U.S. vice president whose zealous defense of slavery led the nation toward civil war. The city had crews working night and day to take away the towering statue. What had been expected to be a relatively quick task stretched into an ordeal lasting more than 16 hours before the statue was lifted up and brought to the ground late Wednesday afternoon as dozens cheered. With his pro-slavery “Calhoun Doctrine,” Calhoun led the South toward secession before he died in 1850.
Meg Kinnard/AP
Crews make preparations for removal of the statue of former U.S. Vice President and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun early Wednesday, June 24, 2020, in Charleston, S.C. Charleston's City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to remove the statue from a downtown square. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
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