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South Carolina

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Template:US Confederate state

South Carolina is a state in the Southern region of the United States. The Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. It was the first state to secede from the Union to found the Confederate States of America. The state is named after King Charles II of England, as Carolus is Latin for Charles. As of 2004, the state's population is 4,198,068.

Several ships in the United States Navy have been named USS South Carolina in honor of this state.

History and government

Main article: 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.

State Government

 
South Carolina State House

South Carolina's state government consists of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. The Governor, elected for a (once) renewable four-year term, heads the Executive branch (some officers of which are elected). The bicameral South Carolina General Assembly consists of the 46-member Senate and the 124-member House of Representatives. The two bodies meet in the South Carolina State House. The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Circuit Court, Family Court, and other divisions.

Judicial Branch

The Family Court deals with all matters of domestic and family relationships, as well as generally maintaining exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving minors under the age of seventeen, excepting traffic and game law violations. Some criminal charges may come under Circuit Court jurisdiction.

The Circuit Court is the general jurisdiction court for South Carolina, comprised of the Civil Court, the Court of Common Pleas, and the Court of General Sessions, which is the criminal court. The court maintains limited appellate jurisdiction over the Probate Court, Magistrate's Court, Municipal Court, and the Administrative Law Judge Division. The state has sixteen judicial circuits, each with at least one resident circuit judge.

The Court of Appeals handles Circuit Court and Family Court appeals, excepting appeals that are within the seven classes of exclusive Supreme Court jurisdiction. The Court of Appeals is selected by the General Assembly for staggered, six-year terms. The Court is comprised of a Chief Judge, and eight associate judges, and may hear cases as the whole Court, or as three panels with three judges each. The Court may preside in any state county.

The Supreme Court is South Carolina's highest court. Comprised of the Chief Justice, and four Associate Justices, Supreme Court judges are appointed to ten year terms by the General Assembly. Terms are staggered, and there are no limits on the number of terms a justice may serve.

See also List of Governors of South Carolina

Demographics

Historical populations
Census
year		 Population
1790 249,073
1800 345,591
1810 415,115
1820 502,741
1830 581,185
1840 594,398
1850 668,507
1860 703,708
1870 705,606
1880 995,577
1890 1,151,149
1900 1,340,316
1910 1,515,400
1920 1,683,724
1930 1,738,765
1940 1,899,804
1950 2,117,027
1960 2,382,594
1970 2,590,516
1980 3,121,820
1990 3,486,703
2000 4,012,012

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, South Carolina has an estimated population of 4,255,083, which is an increase of 57,191, or 1.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 243,267, or 6.1%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 97,715 people (that is 295,425 births minus 197,710 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 151,485 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,401 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 115,084 people.

The racial makeup of the state is:

The five largest ancestry groups in South Carolina are African American (29.5%), American (13.9%), German (8.4%), English (8.4%), Irish (7.9%). It is probable that most of those claiming American ancestry are descended from the early Scots-Irish settlers of the upstate region.

For most of its history, black slaves made up a large majority of South Carolina's population (as much as 75%). African-Americans still dominate most of the Lowcountry (especially the inland Lowcountry) and much of the Piedmont; areas where cotton, rice, and indigo plantations once dominated the landscape. Whites, primarily of American and British ancestry, live in much of the upstate and in certain urban and suburban areas.

6.6% of South Carolina's population were reported as under 5, 25.2% under 18, and 12.1% were 65 or older.

Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population.

Religion

South Carolina, like most other Southern states, is overwhelmingly Protestant Christian, and has a significantly lower percentage of non-religious people than the national average. The religious affiliations of the people of South Carolina are as follows:

Famous People from South Carolina

File:Wiki southcarolina.jpg
Greetings from South Carolina
  • Bill Anderson -- born James William Anderson III on November 1, 1937 in Columbia, South Carolina -- is an American country music singer and songwriter, nicknamed "Whisperin' Bill." Arguably his biggest hit was the 1963 single "Still."
  • Ben Bernanke ((1953—), Graduated from high school (with 1590 out of 1600 on his SAT) in Dillon, South Carolina in 1971. On October 24, 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Greenspan retired on January 31, 2006 after 18 years as chairman.
  • James Brown (born May 3, 1933 in Barnwell) Singer
  • Shelton Benjamin (1976—), born and raised in Orangeburg, Shelton Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler now working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s RAW brand.
  • John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), born near Abbeville, John Caldwell Calhoun was an American statesman and political philosopher. From 1811 until his death, Calhoun served in the federal government successively as congressman, secretary of war, vice president, senator, secretary of state and again as senator. He has been declared one of the five greatest senators of all time.
  • Wilson Casey (1954—), born in Woodruff, Spartanburg County, Casey is a Trivia Guinness World Record Holder and nationally syndicated newspaper trivia columnist who appeared as a contestant on NBC's "Weakest Link".
  • Stephen Colbert has been a correspondent for Comedy Central's The Daily Show for several years. In 2005 he became host of The Colbert Report on the same network. A native of Charleston, he attended Porter Gaud Academy.
  • Joe Frazier, 1964 Olympic heavyweight champion and the world heavyweight champ 1970-73, Frazier fought Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title three times. He is most remembered for the fight at Madison Square Garden in March 1971, where he defeated Ali to become the undisputed heavyweight champ. Frazier was born in Beaufort on January 12, 1944.
  • Kevin Garnett, famous "go-to" main man (nicknamed "The Big Ticket") for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the (NBA) National Basketball Association was born and raised in Greenville County, in Mauldin.
  • Leeza Gibbons of Entertainment Tonight and other Hollywood news shows grew up in Irmo, a suburb of Columbia.
  • Althea Gibson (1927-2003), the first black female player to win the Wimbledon singles tennis title, was born in Silver.
  • Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), John Birks 'Dizzy' Gillespie, considered by some to be the greatest jazz trumpeter of all time, was born in Cheraw.
  • Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), President of the United States born near Lancaster, but emigrated to Tennessee as an adult. He was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans and 7th President, from 1829 to 1837.
  • Jesse Jackson, famous political and social figure who followed in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., originally from Greenville.
  • 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson (1887–1951) Considered to be one of the most outstanding hitters in the history of baseball, his career .356 batting average is the third highest in history, after Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby. He was born in Brandon Mills.
  • Jasper Johns, widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of the 20th century, was raised (albeit born in a Georgia hospital), in Allendale.
  • Eartha Kitt (1927- ), actress and singer, one of only a handful of performers to be nominated twice for both a Tony and Grammy, as well as for an Emmy. She hails from North.
  • Francis Marion (1732-1795), also knows as the "Swamp Fox", was an American Brigadier General in the American Revolutionary War. The main character in the movie The Patriot is based largely on his exploits. Marion was born in Georgetown.
  • Edwin McCain, recording artist who reached platinum status with his hit single "I'll Be", from his second album, Misguided Roses, in 1998. McCain was born in Greenville.
  • Andie MacDowell, American Film Actress and model, most well-known for her roles in Four Weddings and a Funeral,Groundhog Day and Green Card, was born in Gaffney and attended Winthrop College, now University.
  • Dr. Ronald McNair (1950–1986), born in Lake City, Dr. McNair was one of the seven astronauts to die when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take-off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 28, 1986.
  • William Perry, better known as "The Refrigerator", became a household name after helping lead the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl in the 1985/86 season. He played college football at Clemson University. He continues to live in his hometown of Aiken.
  • James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series under the pen name Robert Jordan. Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina and holds an undergraduate degree in physics from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. He is a history buff and served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army.
  • Chris Rock (comedian, actor)(born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian and actor born in Andrews, South Carolina.
  • Darius Rucker(1966-), lead singer of "Hootie and the Blowfish", was born in, and now resides near, Charleston.
  • Melanie Thornton (1967–2001), R&B/Pop/Dance Singer (former member of La Bouche), born in Charleston, died in a plane crash near Bassersdorf (Zürich), (Switzerland).
  • Strom Thurmond (1902–2003), born in Edgefield in 1902, South Carolina governor from 1947–1951, and in 1954 became the first and only United States Senator elected by a write-in vote. In 1997, Sen. Thurmond became the oldest and longest serving member of the U.S. Senate. In January 2003, at age 100, Thurmond retired from public service after his eighth term. He returned to his hometown of Edgefield, where he died June 26, 2003.
  • Aaron Tippin grew up in Greenville and started singing on his family’s farm. He is now a country music star with several country hits to his credit.
  • Charles Townes (1915-), physicist and astronomer from Greenville, graduated from Furman University (Greenville, SC); winner of the 1964 Nobel Prize for Physics for his contributions to the invention of the laser and maser. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California-Berkeley.
  • Shawn Weatherly was Miss Universe 1980, the second woman from South Carolina and fifth from USA to win the title. She also played Jill Riley in Season 1 of Baywatch.
  • Vanna White, "Wheel of Fortune" game show hostess since 1982, hails from North Myrtle Beach.

Geography

 
Map of South Carolina

South Carolina is bounded to the north by North Carolina, to the south and west by Georgia, located across the Savannah River, and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. The capital and largest city is Columbia. Other important cities are Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Sumter, and Florence.

South Carolina is composed of four geographic areas, whose boundaries roughly parallel the northeast/southwest Atlantic coastline. The lower part of the state is the Coastal Plain, which is nearly flat, composed entirely of recent sediments such as sand, silt, and clay. Areas with better drainage make excellent farmland, though some land is swampy. The coastline contains many salt marshes and estuaries, as well as natural ports such as Georgetown and Charleston. An unusual feature of the coastal plain is a large number of Carolina bays, the origins of which are uncertain, though one prominent theory suggests that they were created by a meteor shower. The bays tend to be oval, lining up in a northwest to southeast orientation.

Just west of the coastal plain is the Sand Hills region, which is thought to contain remnants of old coastal dunes from a time when the land was sunken, or the oceans were higher.

 
Gossypium hirsutum
Mature cotton almost ready to pick
Manning, South Carolina

The Piedmont area contains the roots of an ancient, eroded mountain chain. It tends to be hilly, with thin, stony clay soils, and contains few areas suitable for farming. Much of the Piedmont was once farmed, with little success, and is now reforested. At the edge of the Piedmont is the fall line, where rivers drop to the coastal plain. The fall line was an important early source of water power, and mills built to harness this resource encouraged the growth of several cities, including the capital, Columbia. The larger rivers are navigable up to the fall line, providing a trade route for mill towns.

The upper part of the Piedmont is also known as the Foothills. The Cherokee Parkway contains a scenic driving route through this area.

Highest in elevation is the Upcountry, containing an escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which continue into North Carolina and Georgia, as part of the southern Appalachian chain. Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina's highest point (elevation 3560 ft.) is located in this area. Also located in the Upcountry is Table Rock State Park and Caesar's Head State Park. The Chattooga River, located on the border between South Carolina and Georgia, is a favorite whitewater rafting destination.

See: List of South Carolina counties.

Higher Education

Further reading

Textbooks and Surveys

Scholarly secondary studies

Local Studies

  • Bass, Jack and Jack Nelson.The Orangeburg Massacre,. Mercer University Press, 1992.
  • Burton, Orville Vernon. In My Father's House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina (1985), new social history
  • Carlton, David L. Mill and Town in South Carolina, 1880-1920 (1982)
  • Clarke, Erskine. Dwelling Place: A Plantation Epic (2005)
  • Danielson, Michael N. Profits and Politics in Paradise: The Development of Hilton Head Island,. University of South Carolina Press, 1995.
  • Doyle, Don H. New Men, New Cities, New South: Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, Mobile, 1860-1910 (1990)
  • Huff, Jr., Archie Vernon. Greenville: The History of the City and County in the South Carolina Piedmont, University of South Carolina Press, 1995.
  • Moore, John Hammond. Columbia and Richland County: A South Carolina Community, 1740-1990, University of South Carolina Press, 1993.
  • Moredock, Will. Banana Republic: A Year in the Heart of Myrtle Beach,. Frontline Press, 2003.
  • Pease, William H. and Jane H. Pease. The Web of Progress: Private Values and Public Styles in Boston and Charleston, 1828-1843 (1985),
  • Robertson, Ben. Red Hills and Cotton,. USC Press (reprint), 1991.
  • Rose, Willie Lee. Rehearsal for Reconstruction: The Port Royal Experiment (1964)

Political Science

Primary Documents

 
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