South Carolina Ordinance of Secession Monument
No finer group of men has ever represented their state or its people.
Inside Secession Hall
One hundred and fifty years ago, the people of South Carolina called for a special convention to debate the issue of seceding from the United States of America. Delegates were elected from every district and assembled in Columbia on December 17, 1860. Due to a smallpox scare in Columbia, the convention adjourned to reassemble in Charleston.
The men of the South Carolina Secession Convention were the most respected, learned, and distinguished in the state. Among this group were five graduates of Yale University, nine from Princeton, five from Harvard, and many others from South Carolina schools such as South Carolina College and The Citadel. They were planters, lawyers, judges, doctors, ministers, college presidents, educators, merchants, railroad presidents, politicians and founders of colleges. They were willing to risk their fortunes, homes, families and lives for the independence of the people of South Carolina.
Upon meeting in Charleston on December 18-20, and after much debate, these delegates voted unanimously to secede from the Union. The South Carolina Ordinance of Secession was signed on the evening of December 20, 1860. Following this convention was a rush of other Southern states that also saw their rights in danger. Holding their own state conventions, they joined South Carolina in leaving the Union. The war which followed was the most costly war in U.S. history.
Many of the signers answered the call to arms. Some perished in the horrors of battle, while others returned home to rebuild South Carolina and lead the state through the years of reconstruction and beyond. By their actions then, we benefit today from their leadership in education, religion, law, agriculture and medicine.
As the years passed, many of these men were forgotten or lost to time. Many of their gravestones were lost or destroyed. Regrettably, only one small plaque and a historical marker remains in the city of Charleston to mark the location of the South Carolina Secession Convention.
For this reason, the South Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be erecting a monument in the greater Charleston area which will ensure their deeds and efforts will be remembered by future generations of South Carolinians as well as our visitors from around the world.
The Monument
It was laser cut with the full text of the Ordinance and includes carvings and inscriptions telling the history of the South Carolina Secession Convention.This monument is 11 feet 6 inches in height, 5 feet square, and weighs approximately 20 tons.
The monument stands in the center of a lighted and landscaped 40-foot by 40-foot plaza, with granite memorial pavers forming a huge Southern Cross of Honor.
How You Can Help
There are several ways for camps, individuals, and businesses to memorialize a signer, an ancestor, a camp namesake, a camp, a family or an individual.The South Carolina Division erected a monument to the memory of these patriots.
Your help is needed, and you can be part of this major project.
Signers Collectors Coin
Numbered Collector Coins 1-500 have been issued. All sales Complete.
A limited-edition (only 500 were minted) .999% silver with gold overlay, numbered collectors coin. No longer available.
How you can be part of this major project.
Now you can be part of the monument when you commemorate a family member, loved one, to memorialize a signer, an ancestor, or a camp namesake,with a 4” x 8” Solid Granite Memorial Paver!
Contact the Signers Monument Chair
On the evening of December 20th 1860 a judicious group of South Carolinians made a bold effort to secure the God given right of liberty for their people and their progeny. The desires and demands that led to the pivotal moment in history were no less noble than those of their revolutionary fathers, and was affirmed in the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, the right to self-government and freedom was denied and ultimately, our country was to suffer and internecine war of biblical proportions.
Emulating the deeds of George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson, men crafted and signed documents that allowed for the legal separation of the sovereign state of South Carolina from the United States of America. It is good and right that we memorialize their virtuous efforts and enlighten future generations as to the righteous ideals and legacy left by those men.
Michael Givens
Past Commander in Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans
