Confederate flag comes down in South Carolina - see what it was like at the ceremony

Thousands of people came out in Columbia for the removal of the Confederate flag

The Confederate flag came down on Friday morning (Reuters)

The Confederate flag was removed from the grounds of the State House in South Carolina in less than 30 seconds.

But the quick removal did not stop thousands of people - of all creeds and colors - from coming out to see for themselves a piece of history.

TV vans swarmed the South Carolina Capitol, while news helicopters circled overhead.

Armed guards watched over a number of monuments at the state Capitol as well as monitored the sizeable crowd.

Despite the business of the day being the removal of the Confederate flag, a few supporters brought their own.

In the end, the flag's removal was much more of a celebration than anything. As the crowd got antsy, many began chanting, “Take it down”.

When, after 50-plus years of flying, the Confederate flag finally was removed, people broke into passionate chants of, “USA”.

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