South Carolina Marks an Uneasy 150th Anniversary of Secession

Dec. 20 was the 150th anniversary of South Carolina's secession from the Union. One hundred and fifty years later, after a bloody war that crippled the South in many ways and eventually freed over 4 million slaves, South Carolina still struggles with its past.

On one hand, many celebrate the 169 South Carolinians who signed the Ordinance of Secession, believing that they were doing the right thing for the state and protecting it against Northern rule. On the other, many residents, including the descendents of plantation slaves, abhor the adulation of a system of government that supported slavery.

Both sides were in evidence yesterday on the official anniversary. The first official ceremony occurred outside of the old Institute Hall in Charleston, the site of the historic signing of the Ordinance of Secession 150 years earlier. A new plaque commemorating the event was unveiled by the city's mayor, Joe Riley.

Riley did not mince words, proclaiming "That the cause of this disastrous secession was an expressed need to protect the inhumane and immoral institution of slavery is undeniable." Several in the crowd booed and jeered.

Later in the afternoon, a gathering of the NAACP and their supporters marched from the Galliard Auditorium to the Morris Brown Church. Protesters held placards reading "Don't Celebrate Slavery" and other slogans. While NAACP leaders recognized other groups' rights to commemorate secession, they also affirmed their own right to protest.

Later in the day, the South Carolina Secession Gala was held in the Galliard, hosted in part by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Gala included a viewing of the original Ordinance of Secession, a play about the historical events, and a traditional Virginia reel, a historical dance featured in the Civil War movie Gone With the Wind. Several state politicians attended, including Senator Glenn McConnell and Rep. Chip Limehouse.

Today's Charleston includes many reminders of the Civil War. The Confederate flag, once the official symbol of the Confederate States of America and now often seen as an endorsement of slave ownership, still appears on bumper stickers and hangs in windows. The flag was only officially removed from atop the statehouse in 2000. Fort Sumter still stands- a recurring flashpoint in the Civil War and the site of the first battle in the war. Its scarred and ruined walls have been rebuilt and re-fortified over the past century and a half, and is now the site of a national museum.

South Carolina will have to relive the Civil War over the next five years, as each event recognizes its 150th anniversary. Both celebrations of brief liberation and solemn condemnations of slavery will remind the state of its complicated and rich history.