South
Carolina
South Carolina has sandy ocean beaches, fine
gardens, and high mountains. In addition to outdoor activities, the state
offers opportunities to take in America’s past. South Carolina was one of the
13 original English colonies. It preserves buildings from the colonial period,
especially in the city of Charleston. In 1861, the first shots of the American
Civil War were fired in Charleston’s harbor.
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Facts About South Carolina
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Capital
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Columbia
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Population
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4,410,000
people
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Rank
among states in population
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24th
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Major
cities
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Columbia,
Charleston, Greenville
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Area
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32,000
square miles
82,900 square kilometers |
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Rank
among states in area
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40th
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Statehood
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May 23,
1788, the 8th state
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State
nickname
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The
Palmetto State
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Name
for residents
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South
Carolinians
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State
bird
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Carolina
Wren
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State
flower
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Yellow
Jessamine
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State
tree
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Palmetto
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Abbreviation
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SC
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THE PALMETTO STATE
South Carolina is nicknamed the Palmetto State
after its state tree, the cabbage palmetto. Palmettos are shaggy palm trees
that grow along the Atlantic Coast. People used to chop up the budding leaves
of these trees and make a cabbage-like salad.
SWAMPS TO MOUNTAINS
South Carolina is divided into low country and
upcountry. The low country is a low-lying plain near the coast. It includes the
Sea Islands off the coast. Much of the land near South Carolina’s coast is
swamp.
Away from the coast, South Carolina gradually
rises into upcountry—rolling hills and mountains. The Blue Ridge Mountains
cover the northwest corner of the state. Mists make these tree-covered
mountains look blue from a distance.
STATEHOOD
On May 23, 1788, South Carolina became the
eighth state to join the United States. Columbia is the capital and largest
city. Charleston is the second largest city and an important historic center.
South Carolina remained a farming state into the 1900s.
Cotton and tobacco have been the state’s leading crops. Manufacturing started
slowly. Today, cotton and chemicals are two of the most important manufactured
products. Tourism is also big business in South Carolina.
FIRST SHOTS OF THE CIVIL WAR
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina officially
left the United States. It was the first state to secede (break away)
from the Union before the American Civil War (1861-1865). Later, 10 more
Southern states seceded. These 11 states formed the Confederate States of
America. All of these states relied on slaves to work their farmland.
The Civil War started in South Carolina in April
1861. Confederate soldiers bombarded and captured Fort Sumter in Charleston
Harbor. United States president Abraham Lincoln decided that the North would
fight back. The Civil War was fought to hold the United States together. Today,
you can visit Fort Sumter National Monument. Exhibits here help explain the
causes of the tragic conflict that divided the North and South.
CHARLESTON
Charleston is the oldest city in South Carolina. It
was founded in 1670. During the 1700s, it became one of the largest cities in
the American colonies. It thrived as a port for the southern colonies.
Today, Charleston draws many tourists. Its historic
district along the waterfront preserves elegant homes and other old buildings.
Many of the houses have tall porches and broad balconies to catch sea breezes
on hot summer days. In Charleston, you can see the street that inspired Catfish
Row in the operetta Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin.
Charleston is still a busy port city. It’s also a
major cultural center of the American South. Every spring, Charleston hosts the
Spoleto Festival USA. It’s an international festival that includes music,
dance, and theater.
GARDENS
South Carolina is known for fine gardens. At
Magnolia Gardens and Middleton Place, azaleas and camellias bloom in abundance
in early spring. At Cypress Gardens, you can tour a swamp in a flatbottom boat.
Cypress Gardens also has a butterfly house, an aquarium, and a reptile center.
All three of these gardens are near Charleston.
If you prefer mountains to gardens, you can go
hiking or camping in Table Rock State Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
THE SEA ISLANDS
Low islands known as the Sea Islands lie off
the coast of South Carolina. They generally have sandy beaches on their ocean
side and marshes on the side facing the mainland. Groves of palmetto trees grow
on the islands.
Hilton Head Island and Myrtle Beach are fancy
resorts in the Sea Islands. The Marine Corps runs a training camp for new
recruits on Parris Island. It’s called boot camp because new marines were once
called boots.
THE GULLAH PEOPLE
The Gullah people live on the Sea Islands. They are
descendants of West Africans who once worked as slaves on rice plantations on
the islands. The freed slaves stayed on after the plantation owners left during
the Civil War (1861-1865).
The Gullah lived largely in isolation until the
late 1900s. They fished and continued to grow rice. They kept their heritage
and their language, which is also called Gullah. Gullah combines English words
with words and grammar from West African languages. Gullah words that have
entered English include goober (meaning “peanut”) and gumbo (a
stew made with the vegetable okra).
Every May, the city of Beaufort on Port Royal
Island hosts a Gullah Festival. This is where you can learn about Gullah
culture—hear the music, watch the dances, see the crafts, and sample the foods
of the Gullah people.
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