A Case Study on Public-Private Relations in the Evolving Significance of the Calhoun Monument in Charleston, South Carolina

The statue of John C. Calhoun in Charleston, South Carolina was removed in June, 2020, despite legal protections the South Carolina Heritage Act of 2000 offered to war monuments in public spaces. In my research, I aimed to answer the following question: what does the removal of the Calhoun Monument, in spite of the legal protection offered by the Heritage Act, reveal about the relationship between public and private spheres in the development and preservation of historical collective memory related to the Civil War and the Confederacy? I divided the history of the monument into three eras, attempting to understand the interplay of public and private spheres of each era in imbuing the icon with a particular significance and meaning. Firstly, my analysis of the Historical Era investigates the monument’s significance in its early years as imbued by the Charleston public, the private organization that funded the monument (the Ladies Calhoun Monument Association), and the state. Next, an analysis of the Heritage Era utilizes news coverage to examine how bringing the monument under governmental, public control with the Heritage Act effected the significance of the icon and its place in the city. Lastly, the project dissects the Healing Era, the time from the icon’s removal until the present. The analysis of this period attempts to understand the effects of the monument’s removal in Charleston and South Carolina since this past June. The results of the qualitative analysis of these three eras reveal a transition in the significance of the icon from a statue conveying a message of intimidation to Black Charlestonians to a central symbol in assorted political and social movements. This case study on the Calhoun statue’s creation, protection, and eventual removal provides insight into the highly symbolic nature of Confederate monuments and their evolving role in American society. To learn more, read my full-length paper on the Calhoun Monument in Charleston SC.

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Image source: Alford, Grace Beahm. The John C. Calhoun statue is lowered from its perch in Marion Square Wednesday, June 24, 2020, in Charleston. 2020. Photograph. https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/calhoun-statue-not-protected-by-sc-monument-law-deemed-constitutional-by-state-ag/article_94a836f0-b72a-11ea-8d9d-6b4c118135de.html.