John C. Calhoun Monument

Soon after John C. Calhoun's death in 1850, Mary Amarinthia Snowden formed the Ladies' Calhoun Monument Association (LCMA) "to aid in the erection, in or near the City of Charleston, of a monument sacred to the memory of John C. Calhoun." However, the campaign initially struggled with fundraising, facing issues including embezzlement and lack of preparedness. The association held several donor meetings and depended heavily on wealthy Charlestonian philanthropists to reach the appropriate amount. The monument was finally built 27 years later, in April 1887. Parades and celebrations were hosted across the city, and the LCMA helped unveil the statue to those in attendance. The LCMA described the unveiling ceremony's attendance as "crowded to [Marion Square's] boarders with such an assemblage as is rarely seen anywhere." The individual who completed the 1896 monument was an Irish-born contractor, Daniel A. J. Sullivan, who is listed as a carpenter by trade and eventually became a prominent builder in Charleston after the American Civil War. Sullivan was noticeably active in the local Democratic Party and later served in the state legislature. ==Controversy and Removal==

Over time, the statue became controversial due to Calhoun's staunchly pro-slavery views, especially in the aftermath of the shooting at the nearby Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015. In 2017, a committee was formed to consider how citizens could interpret the statue. The committee was tasked to create a plaque putting the state in greater historical context. The verbiage of the plaque was never agreed upon, and the committee was disbanded. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, there were calls across the United States to remove monuments and statues connected with the lost cause myth or individuals who supported slavery. Many such statues were defaced or protested, including the Calhoun monument. On June 23, 2020, the statue was taken down after a unanimous vote by the Charleston City Council. The current location of the John C. Calhoun bust is undisclosed. Some groups have called for the statue to be placed inside a museum. However, the Charleston Museum declined the city's request. As of October 2026, the Calhoun Monument Society has taken possession of the statue for re-erection in the Charleston area. ==See also==