COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina House approved taking down the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds, a stunning reversal early Thursday in a state that was the first to leave the Union in 1860 and raised the flag again at its Statehouse more than 50 years ago to protest the civil rights movement. The move came after more than 13 hours of contentious debate, and 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 by a two-thirds margin, and the bill now goes to Republican Gov.