South Carolina to celebrate secession, Civil War

TheState.com:

Starting this month, South Carolina will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War with a series of events that underscore this state’s central role in that titanic, tragic struggle.

Almost no state money has been spent to organize or hold the events.

In 2007, the General Assembly appropriated $65,000 to the state Department of Archives and History to hire a part-time coordinator and establish a website to serve as a clearinghouse of information on the events marking the anniversary. Subsequent legislation established the S.C. Civil War Sesquicentennial Advisory Board to help coordinate events.

Two of the first events scheduled to mark the anniversary – a privately sponsored secession ball Monday in Charleston and an effort to display the original Ordinance of Secession – show just how divisive the Civil War remains.

The ball, organized by the Confederate Heritage Trust and sponsored by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, has been criticized as a celebration of treason and slavery.

“There does appear to be an effort to make this a festive occasion,” said Lonnie Randolph, president of the NAACP’s S.C. Conference, which plans to protest the ball. “It’s more about celebration than history.”

At a subsequent press conference, Randolph was even more critical, saying, "We are not opposed to observances. We are opposed to disrespect. This is nothing more than a celebration of slavery."

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