With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Park withdrawn as site for secession monument in SC



North Charleston's offer to allow a monument to the signers of South Carolina's 1860 Ordinance of Secession at Riverfront Park has been withdrawn.

Instead, Mayor Keith Summey said the memorial should go to the H.L. Hunley lab, or to the North Charleston site where the sub's museum will eventually be built.

A week after offering the S.C. Sons of Confederate Veterans space at Riverfront Park, Summey on Monday squashed the deal, saying it had become too polarizing a subject.

"The Civil War is a part of our history, both good and bad, and I believe that it should be acknowledged, taught and openly discussed," Summey said. "However, some who stand on both sides of this issue have attempted to divide our council and our city along racial lines."

Two minority members of council said the change was the right decision....
Read entire article at Charleston Post & Courier