Dublin Core
Title
South Carolina Monument to the Confederate Dead, Columbia, South Carolina
Description
Erected in May 13th, 1879
Obelisk designed by Muldoon, Walker and Cobb
Designed by Carlo Nicoli
Inscription written by William Henry Trescot
Funded by the South Carolina Monument Association
Right outside of the South Carolina State House, Columbia, a statue of a Confederate soldier with proper uniform, stands steadily on top of the monument, carrying a rifle. On the monument, an image of an anchor that resembles the navy, cannon, and broken wheels represents the army. The bottom of the monument reads,
"Those who true to the instincts of their birth, faithful to the teachings of their fathers, constant their love for their state, died in the performance of their duty."
Trescot's inscription directed the audience's interpretation to focus more on the lost cause, though did not fully interpret the full image of the meaning of the Lost Cause. Like most of the Confederate monuments, the South Carolina monument was erected with the support of many Confederate women during the postwar era. As a major southern state, racial segregation and misinterpreted messages of the Civil War were widely accepted by the white population in the region.
The argument of racial inequality went silent until July 15th, 2015, when the Charleston incident occurred. Finally forced the residents to recognize their history that was interpreted in a different way to the mainstream public. After a long period of protests and conferences, exchange of ideas and communication. The Confederate battle flag was removed after a general assembly's demands which were later approved by the state legislature.
Fueled by the controversial police killing in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May, 2020, a lawsuit was filed to test the constitutionality of the South Carolina Heritage Act. After the year-long lawsuit, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled on September 23, 2021 that the act was constitutional and that public monuments would still be protected under the statute. The monument remains standing amidst a strong movement for the removal of Confederate symbols from public spaces and there are no plans for its removal, however with the Supreme Court ruling, the requirement for a two-thirds vote to remove a public monument was knocked down.
Obelisk designed by Muldoon, Walker and Cobb
Designed by Carlo Nicoli
Inscription written by William Henry Trescot
Funded by the South Carolina Monument Association
Right outside of the South Carolina State House, Columbia, a statue of a Confederate soldier with proper uniform, stands steadily on top of the monument, carrying a rifle. On the monument, an image of an anchor that resembles the navy, cannon, and broken wheels represents the army. The bottom of the monument reads,
"Those who true to the instincts of their birth, faithful to the teachings of their fathers, constant their love for their state, died in the performance of their duty."
Trescot's inscription directed the audience's interpretation to focus more on the lost cause, though did not fully interpret the full image of the meaning of the Lost Cause. Like most of the Confederate monuments, the South Carolina monument was erected with the support of many Confederate women during the postwar era. As a major southern state, racial segregation and misinterpreted messages of the Civil War were widely accepted by the white population in the region.
The argument of racial inequality went silent until July 15th, 2015, when the Charleston incident occurred. Finally forced the residents to recognize their history that was interpreted in a different way to the mainstream public. After a long period of protests and conferences, exchange of ideas and communication. The Confederate battle flag was removed after a general assembly's demands which were later approved by the state legislature.
Fueled by the controversial police killing in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May, 2020, a lawsuit was filed to test the constitutionality of the South Carolina Heritage Act. After the year-long lawsuit, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled on September 23, 2021 that the act was constitutional and that public monuments would still be protected under the statute. The monument remains standing amidst a strong movement for the removal of Confederate symbols from public spaces and there are no plans for its removal, however with the Supreme Court ruling, the requirement for a two-thirds vote to remove a public monument was knocked down.
Creator
Carlo Nicoli
Source
Historic Columbia Website https://www.historiccolumbia.org/tour-locations/south-carolina-monument-confederate-dead
The Metropole https://themetropole.blog/2018/01/17/columbia-and-the-problem-of-confederate-memorials/
Greenville News https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2020/07/10/support-confederacy-dying-out-south-carolina-statehouse/5414294002/
The Metropole https://themetropole.blog/2018/01/17/columbia-and-the-problem-of-confederate-memorials/
Greenville News https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2020/07/10/support-confederacy-dying-out-south-carolina-statehouse/5414294002/
The South Carolina Monument Association, origin history and work, with an account of the proceedings at the unveiling of the monument to the Confederate dead; and the oration of Gen. John S. Preston, at Columbia, S.C. May 13, 1879
https://archive.org/details/southcarolinamon00sout/page/n5/mode/2up
U.S. News
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2021-09-22/south-carolinas-confederate-monument-protection-law-upheld
Date
May 13th, 1879
Contributor
Yuan Chiang, Jacob Dopudja, Alyssa Nusbaum
Language
English
Type
Stone Sculpture monument
Identifier
HIST 402-A Fall 2020
Coverage
Columbia, South Carolina