The Carolina State was the first to leave the Union in 1860 and raised the flag again 50 years later to protest against the civil rights movement. Today, in a stunning reversal, the South Carolina House has approved taking down the Confederate Flag.

“We can’t change the past or bring back those who were so needlessly killed just three weeks ago. But we are charting a course for a new century in South Carolina that honors our heritage without doing it at the expense of so many,” South Carolina GOP Chairman Matt Moore said in a statement.

The move early Thursday came after more than 13 hours of at times contentious debate, just weeks after the fatal shootings of nine black church members, including a state senator, at a Bible study in Charleston.

The House approved the senate bill 93-27 with one more vote pending which remains just perfunctory as it has already achieved 2/3rds majority. The bill will now go to the Republican Governor, Nikki Haley, who actually spearheaded the movement to take the flag down.

“A new day in South Carolina, a day we can all be proud of” , said Nikki Haley in a statement following the vote.GettyImages-477743982