The latest statue of a historical figure to be taken down around the country is one with ties to Springfield.

Crews in Charleston, South Carolina, removed a statue of John C. Calhoun, a 19^th-Century politician who served as U.S. Vice President and a United States Senator. Calhoun was a vocal supporter of slavery… leading to the decision to remove the statue from a public square in Charleston.

Many communities around the country are named in honor of Calhoun, including Calhoun County, Illinois… and Springfield was named Calhoun until the city’s name was changed in the 1830s.