South Carolina

About South Carolina

History of South Carolina

The colony of Carolina was settled by English settlers sent by the Lords Proprietors in 1670, followed by French Huguenots. The Carolina upcountry was settled largely by Scotch-Irish migrants from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Carolina became a royal colony in 1712. North Carolina was split off in 1729. The state declared its independence from Great Britain and set up its own government on March 15, 1776. On February 5, 1778 South Carolina became the first state to ratify the first constitution of the United States, the Articles of Confederation.

South Carolina seceded from the United States on December 20, 1860. The rest of the Southern states seceded in the following months; together, they organized themselves as the Confederate States of America. President James Buchanan took little action, preferring to let the newly elected President Abraham Lincoln decide the matter. On April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries began shelling Fort Sumter, which stands on an island in Charleston harbor, thus precipitating the Civil War. Students from The Citadel were among those firing the first shots of the war, though Edmund Ruffin is usually credited with firing the first shot.

After the American Civil War, South Carolina was reincorporated into the United States during Reconstruction. The state became a hotbed of racial and economic controversy during the Populist and Agrarian movements of the late 1800s.

In the 20th century, South Carolina developed a thriving textile industry, converted its agricultural base from cotton to more profitable crops, attracted large military bases and, most recently, attracted European manufacturers.

South Carolina

Aiken     Anderson     Barnwell     Beaufort     Bennettsville     Bishopville     Bluffton     Blythewood     Camden     Cayce     Charleston     Cheraw     Clemson     Clinton     Columbia     Conway     Daniel Island     Daufuskie Island     Dillon     Duncan     Easley     Edisto Island     Florence     Folly Beach     Fort Jackson     Fort Mill     Gaffney     Garden City Beach     Georgetown     Goose Creek     Greenville     Greenwood     Greer     Hampton     Hardeeville     Hartsville     Hilton Head Island     Holly Hill     Irmo     Isle of Palms     James Island     Johns Island     Kiawah Island     Kingstree     Ladson     Lake City     Lancaster     Lexington     Litchfield Beach     Little River     Lugoff     Manning     Marion     Mauldin     Moncks Corner     Mount Pleasant     Murrells Inlet     Myrtle Beach     Newberry     North Augusta     North Charleston     North Myrtle Beach     Orangeburg     Pageland     Parris Island     Pawleys Island     Piedmont     Point South     Port Royal     Richburg     Ridgeland     Ridgeway     Rock Hill     Santee     Seneca     Simpsonville     Spartanburg     St. George     St. Stephen     Sullivan’s Island     Summerton     Summerville     Sumter     Sun City     Surfside Beach     Timmonsville     Travelers Rest     Turbeville     Union     Walterboro     West Columbia     Wild Dunes     Winnsboro     York