U.S. Activists petition for the removal of the Confederate Flag from South Carolina State House after Charleston Church Shooting, 2015

Between 1860 and 1861, the Confederate States of America, formed by 11 Southern states, engaged in the Civil War to defend the national legality of slavery. One of the flags associated with the Confederacy was the “battle flag,” which remains visible in many public spaces as a symbol of Southern pride and historical heritage. For example, in 1964, the South Carolina State Legislature raised the flag over the State Capitol dome to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Civil War. However, many citizens interpreted this action as a response to the civil rights movement and efforts to desegregate schools. In the rest of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century, the Confederate flag remained a powerful and popular symbol among white supremacist groups, sparking ongoing national debates between citizens over the appropriateness of these flags in public spaces.

South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union in December 1860, had opposed Abraham Lincoln and his anti-slavery Republican Party. The contemporary call for the removal of the Confederate flag in the U.S. began in South Carolina in 1994. South Carolina and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) engaged in a lengthy fight, in which NAACP threatened a boycott of the state, and reached a compromise in 2000 to reduce the flag in size and move it to a monument honoring Confederate soldiers on the statehouse grounds. 

On the evening of 17 June 2015, Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white supremacist, joined a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston—a historic Black church in South Carolina—and shot and killed nine African Americans, including Black activist and state senator Rev. Clementa Pinckney. A manifesto found on Roof’s website, along with photos of him holding a weapon and the Confederate flag, resurfaced on the Internet. In his writings, Roof referred to African Americans as "the biggest problem for Americans" and explained his choice of the Charleston church, stating, “It is the most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to whites in the country.” This massacre reignited public outrage over racial inequality, oppression and discrimination in the United States and intensified calls for the removal of the battle flag.

South Carolina Governor Nikki R. Haley and Representative Mark Sanford faced criticism for their previous stance of refusing to remove the Confederate flag. On 20 June 2015, Cornell William Brooks, national president of the NAACP, publicly called the Confederate flag an “emblem of hate” and urged its removal from public spaces. Meanwhile, an informal campaign to pressure South Carolina politicians to take down the flag began online. On Twitter (currently referred to as X), activist netizens used hashtags such as #takedownthatflag, #takeitdown, and #ConfederateTakeDown. The progressive public advocacy group MoveOn.org launched an online petition demanding the flag’s removal, stating that “symbols of hate have no place in our government.” By 20 June 2015, the petition had gathered support from more than 370,000 people. 

The informal online campaign soon transformed into in-person protests and demonstrations, amplifying the call for action. On 20 June 2015, thousands of people gathered beneath the Confederate flag on the Statehouse grounds, braving high temperatures to demand that the state legislature remove the flag. They held signs printed with “#TAKE DOWN THE FLAG” and sang “We Shall Overcome.” 

Several political elites expressed their support for the removal of the flag. At the same day of the protest, former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, tweeted “Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.” Then, former president Barack Obama reposted it by commenting “Good point, Mitt”.

In response to public pressure, on 22 June, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made the official announcement that “This flag, while an integral part of our past, does not represent the future of our great state” and “it is time to remove the flag from our capitol grounds.” South Carolina senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich expressed their support for Nikki Haley’s decision. At the same time, the number of signatures on the Moveon.org petition had grown to 500,000.

As the legislative process continued, activist Bree Newsome Bass decided to take down the Confederate flag outside the South Carolina House herself. On 27 June 2015, Newsome Bass, supported by fellow activist James Ian Tyson, used a harness and climbing gear to scale the flagpole and remove the battle flag. As she was climbing, state authorities arrived and told her to climb down. Newsome Bass finished her climb and removed the flag. Upon her descent with the flag, the authorities arrested Newsome and Tyson. After authorities charged Newsome Bass and Tyson with defacing state property, they released the pair from jail after seven hours on bail paid by the activists’ supporters. By the time of their release, officials had restored the Confederate flag to the top of the House pole. If the state had taken the pair to trial, Newsome Bass and Tyson would have faced up to three years in prison or up to a $5,000 fine. State officials later dropped these charges altogether.

On 9 July 2015, Governor Nikki Haley signed legislation to remove the Confederate flag from government grounds and transfer it to the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum within 24 hours. Twenty-three days after the mass shooting at the Charleston church, the battle flag of the former American Confederacy was finally taken down from South Carolina’s Statehouse.