Remnants of the John C Calhoun Monument in Marion Square, Charleston, South Carolina - Wade Hampton III Memorial

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NEVER FORGET!!! Visiting the remnants of the John C. Calhoun Monument shortly after the Maoists destroyed it in Talibanesque fashion in Charleston, South Carolina! (see video in comment section). This base was removed shortly after these photos were taken on Sept 25, 2020. This beautiful monument was a 115-foot-tall monument in Charleston, South Carolina’s Marion Square with a statue depicting John C. Calhoun on top. Erected in 1896 by the Ladies’ Calhoun Monument Association (LCMA) after decades of fundraising, the monument was the pride of the city for well over a century. On June 23, 2020, Charleston City Council voted to remove the statue. The pedestal/column was actually toppled and came crashing down on June 24, 2020.

The statue’s current location is undisclosed, with no museum, including the Charleston Museum, agreeing to house it as of October 2020. In 2022, the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia discussed an “extended loan agreement” to store and contextualize it, but this required legislative approval and was not finalized. Lawsuits followed, with Calhoun’s descendants and the Marion Square owners (Washington Light Infantry and Sumter Guards) arguing the removal violated South Carolina’s Heritage Act and demanding its return or retention in-state. The city also considered sending it to a Los Angeles exhibit, prompting further legal pushback.

John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was a prominent American statesman from South Carolina, serving as a senator, congressman, secretary of war, secretary of state, and vice president under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. He was a fierce advocate for states' rights, nullification, and Southern interests. His political philosophy, rooted in limited federal power, shaped the South's ideology leading up to the Civil War. Calhoun's key contributions included the Nullification Doctrine where he argued states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional, notably during the 1832 Nullification Crisis over tariffs. Also, Calhoun defended the Concurrent Majority where major decisions require consensus from all major societal interests, not just a numerical majority, to protect minority rights (especially the South's).

John C Calhoun's statue continues to remain in the Crypt at the National Capitol in Washington DC and can be seen by everyone who takes a tour of the Capitol building.

Here's the video of the Maoists pulling it down in Talibanesque fashion...
https://youtu.be/e6AsQvQlkkw?si=sT595J7bT2umFrOx


The remaining base of the John C Calhoun Monument on Sept 25, 2020. This was also removed shortly afterwards..


The General Wade Hampton Monument in Marion Square. The remnants of the John C Calhoun Monument can be seen in the background...



Stock Photo of the John C Calhoun Monument before destruction..

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