Cheers and applause erupted as the Confederate battle flag was removed Friday from the South Carolina Capitol, ending a decades-long fight that was reignited after the murders of nine members of a historically black Charleston church. "Take it down! Take it down!" the crowd chanted as an honor guard from the South Carolina Highway Patrol marched toward the flag pole. Two troopers reeled the flag down and folded it as onlookers took photos and broke out in song, while others bellowed, "USA! USA!" They handed the flag to a black trooper, who brought it to the steps of the Statehouse and handed it to a state archivist. The dignified ceremony, which lasted less than 10 minutes, was a shocking end to a complicated chapter in the history of the American South/NBC News. More here.

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