South Carolina is the smallest state in the Deep South region of the United States. In spite of its size, South Carolina is an important manufacturing and farming state. It is one of the leading states in the nation in the manufacture of textiles. South Carolina also raises one of the largest tobacco crops in the United States. Most South Carolina workers are employed in service industries, which include trade, health care, and government. Tourism is also important to the economy of South Carolina.
About two-thirds of the people of South Carolina live in urban areas. Columbia is the capital and Charleston is the largest city in the state. South Carolina still has many features of the South of pre-Civil War days. Graceful buildings erected before the war still stand in Beaufort, Charleston, and other cities. Large plantations, which were once the backbone of the South’s economy, remain in parts of South Carolina. The state’s many beautiful flower gardens recall the leisurely life of the South that existed before the Civil War.
The eastern part of South Carolina is a lowland that borders the Atlantic Ocean. In the west, the land rises to sand hills, and then to mountains. The people of South Carolina call the eastern part of the state the Low Country. They call the western part of the state the Up Country.
South Carolina was named for King Charles I of England, in 1629. Carolina is a Latin form of Charles. The word South was added in 1730, when North and South Carolina became separate colonies.
Many important battles of the American Revolution (1775-1783) were fought in South Carolina. Colonial victories in the Battle of Kings Mountain and the Battle of Cowpens were turning points of the war in the South. South Carolina may have earned its nickname, the Palmetto State, as the result of certain events that occurred during the Revolution. In 1776, colonists in a small fort built of palmetto logs defeated a British fleet that tried to capture Charleston Harbor. The next day, William Moultrie, the colonial commander, saw a column of smoke rising from a burning British ship. The shape of the smoke reminded Moultrie of the palmetto tree, which grows widely in South Carolina. These wartime events supposedly gave South Carolina its nickname.
South Carolina was the first state to secede (withdraw) from the Union before the Civil War (1861-1865). It did so on Dec. 20, 1860. Confederate troops fired the first shot of the Civil War when they attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861.
People
Population.
The 2020 United States census reported that South Carolina had 5,118,425 people. The state’s population had increased 11 percent over the 2010 census figure of 4,625,364. According to the 2020 census, South Carolina ranks 23rd in population among the 50 states.
The state has 10 metropolitan areas (see Metropolitan area). About 85 percent of the population lives in these areas. Eight metropolitan areas are entirely within the state. Parts of the Augusta (Georgia)-Richmond County (Georgia) and Charlotte (North Carolina)-Concord (North Carolina)-Gastonia (North Carolina) metropolitan areas are in South Carolina.
The largest cities in South Carolina, in order of size, are Charleston, Columbia, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Rock Hill, Greenville, and Summerville. In 2020, they were the only cities with a population of more than 50,000. 
Many of South Carolina’s people are descendants of early settlers to the state. About 25 percent of the state’s people are African Americans. Other large population groups in the state include people of English, German, Hispanic, Irish, and Scotch-Irish descent.
Schools.
In colonial times, most of the children in South Carolina were educated at home or in private schools. In 1710, the colonial government established semipublic schools that were called free schools. These schools were free to poor children, but other youngsters paid tuition. 
In 1811, the state legislature approved a plan to set up free schools in all parts of South Carolina. But not enough money was put aside to run the schools. There were few free schools except in the largest towns in the state. The 1868 constitution called for free public schools for all children. But the legislature failed to provide enough money for the schools. Finally, the 1895 constitution provided tax support for statewide public schools.
Like other Southern States, South Carolina had separate schools for Black and white students for many years. In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that public school segregation on the basis of race is unconstitutional. The first racial integration in South Carolina public schools took place in Charleston in 1963. By 1970, South Carolina’s public school districts had been integrated. Children from age 5 to 17 must attend school. For the number of students and teachers in the state, see Education (table: U.S. students, teachers, and school expenditures).
A superintendent of education and a State Board of Education head the South Carolina public school system. The board has 17 members. The governor appoints one member from the state at large (as a whole). The other members are appointed by the state legislators from each of South Carolina’s 16 judicial (court) circuits. Board members serve four-year terms. The voters elect the superintendent to a four-year term.
Libraries.
South Carolina had the first government-supported lending library in the 13 original colonies. The library opened in Charleston in 1698, but closed a few years later. In 1840, the University of South Carolina built the nation’s first separate college library building. Today, South Carolina has public library service in each of its 46 counties.
Museums.
The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, is one of the oldest museums in the United States. It has natural history, anthropology, and colonial history exhibits. The South Carolina State Museum in Columbia has exhibits dealing with art, cultural history, natural history, science, and technology. The International African American Museum, in Charleston, is located on the former site of a slave trading center. The Museum of York County in Rock Hill has a large collection of African mammals and a planetarium. Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery in Greenville has a collection of paintings on religion. Other art museums in the state include the Columbia Museum of Art, the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, and the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville. 
Visitor’s guide
South Carolina’s attractions include wide, sparkling beaches, excellent golf courses, beautiful gardens, numerous historic sites, and charming cities. Abundant wildlife in the South Carolina’s fields and streams provides exciting action for hunters and fishing enthusiasts. Among the favorite annual events in South Carolina are the Carolina Cup, a steeplechase (horse race) that takes place in Camden in either late March or early April, and the Southern 500, a stock car race that is run in Darlington on Labor Day weekend.
Land and climate
Land regions.
South Carolina has three main land regions: (1) the Atlantic Coastal Plain, (2) the Piedmont, and (3) the Blue Ridge. South Carolinians call the easternmost portion of the coastal plain the Low Country, and they call the Piedmont and Blue Ridge the Up Country.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain
is a lowland that covers the southeastern two-thirds of South Carolina. It is part of the plain of the same name that stretches from New York to Florida. In South Carolina, the land rises gradually from southeast to northwest. One section of this plain, the Outer Coastal Plain, extends 50 to 70 miles (80 to 113 kilometers) inland from the coast, and is flat and broken by rivers. Swamps cover much of the land near the coast and extend far inland along the rivers. Another area, the Inner Coastal Plain, is hilly and rolling. A belt of forest called the Pine Barrens covers part of the central Atlantic Coastal Plain. A series of sand hills runs from southwest to northeast through Aiken, Columbia, Camden, and Cheraw, marking the western edge of the plain. These sand hills form part of an ancient beach, and indicate that the Atlantic Coastal Plain once lay under the ocean.
The Piedmont
covers most of northwestern South Carolina. It is part of a land region that extends from New York to Alabama. The boundary between the Piedmont and the coastal plain is called the Fall Line. It forms the eastern edge of the Piedmont in South Carolina. The Fall Line is a zone where rivers tumble from higher land to the low-lying Atlantic Coastal Plain (see Fall line). In the southeast, the South Carolina Piedmont is a rolling upland with elevations from 400 to 1,200 feet (120 to 370 meters) above sea level. It rises to a hilly area 1,400 feet (430 meters) above sea level at its western edge.
The Piedmont slopes from northwest to southeast, which causes rivers in the region to flow rapidly. The swift-running rivers have been a major source of hydroelectric power. This power has helped make the Piedmont an important manufacturing area.
The Blue Ridge
covers the northwestern corner of South Carolina. It is part of a larger region of the same name that runs from southern Pennsylvania to northern Georgia. The famous Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountain system, give the region its name. The Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina are less rugged and more easily crossed than those of North Carolina. Few Blue Ridge peaks in South Carolina rise more than 3,000 feet (910 meters), and all are topped with forests. Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in the state, rises 3,560 feet (1,085 meters) above sea level in the Blue Ridge.
Coastline
of South Carolina has many wide bays and inlets. Measured in a straight line, the state’s general coastline totals 187 miles (301 kilometers). If all the coastal area washed by water were measured, the coastline would total 2,876 miles (4,628 kilometers). Important bays and harbors along the coast include, from north to south, Little River Inlet, Winyah Bay, Bulls Bay, Charleston Harbor, St. Helena Sound, and Port Royal Sound. The northern part of the coastline, from North Carolina to Winyah Bay, is called the Grand Strand. It has an almost unbroken beach. South of Winyah Bay, saltwater marshes cover much of the coastal area, and tidal rivers cut far inland. Here, the Santee River forms the largest delta on the east coast. Many islands lie along the coast. They include, from north to south, Pawleys Island, Bull Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Kiawah Island, Edisto Island, Hunting Island, Fripp Island, Hilton Head Island, and Daufuskie Island. Parris Island, near Beaufort, is a major United States Marine training center.
Rivers, waterfalls, and lakes.
Many large rivers cross South Carolina from northwest to southeast. The largest, the Santee, drains about 40 percent of the state’s area. The second largest river, the Pee Dee, flows through eastern South Carolina. The Savannah River, third in size, forms the border with Georgia. Other South Carolina rivers include the Broad, Saluda, Combahee, Edisto, Ashley, and Cooper. Rivers that cross the Fall Line have a series of rapids and waterfalls. Larger and more beautiful waterfalls may be seen in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
South Carolina has no large natural lakes. Dams form many large lakes or reservoirs. Lake Marion, the largest artificially created lake, was created in 1942. Other reservoirs include Greenwood, Moultrie, Murray, Wateree, and Wylie on the Santee River and its tributaries. Hartwell and J. Strom Thurmond lakes are on the Savannah River and lie partly in South Carolina and partly in Georgia. Keowee and Jocassee are on Savannah tributaries.
Plant and animal life.
Forests cover almost two-thirds of South Carolina. Trees found in the state include beeches, cottonwoods, cypresses, hemlocks, hickories, magnolias, maples, pines, oaks, sweet gums, and yellow-poplars.
Palmettos, yuccas, and other subtropical plants grow along the South Carolina coast. Thick growths of dwarf white honeysuckle and sweet bay spread over large areas in the Low Country. Spanish moss hangs from many live oak and cypress trees. Other South Carolina plants include yellow jessamine, the state flower, and the Venus’s-flytrap, a rare insect-trapping plant that grows wild only in North and South Carolina. Patches of azaleas, mountain laurels, and rhododendrons blanket the South Carolina mountainsides in spring.
Large numbers of white-tailed deer live in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain forests. A few black bears and alligators inhabit swamps near the coast. Fox squirrels, foxes, and some wild cats live in the state’s inland forests. Opossums, raccoons, and cottontail rabbits may be found throughout the state. More than 450 kinds of birds, including wild turkeys, mourning doves, quail, and ducks, live in South Carolina. Few other states have so many kinds of birds.
Bottlenose dolphins, sharks, sperm whales, and giant sea turtles often swim in South Carolina’s coastal waters. About 350 kinds of saltwater fishes live in the state’s coastal waters and salt marshes. Freshwater streams and lakes have bass, bream, rockfish, and trout.
Climate.
South Carolina has a warm climate. The state’s July temperatures average about 82 °F (28 °C) in the south and about 78 °F (26 °C) in the northwest. January temperatures average about 49 °F (9 °C) in the south and about 41 °F (5 °C) in the northwest. South Carolina’s record high temperature, 113 °F (45 °C), was recorded in Johnston on June 29, 2012. The state’s record low, –19 °F (–28 °C), was recorded at Caesars Head on Jan. 21, 1985. 
Yearly precipitation (rain, melted snow, and other forms of moisture) in most parts of South Carolina averages about 47 inches (119 centimeters). The mountains receive over 70 inches (178 centimeters) of precipitation annually. South Carolina gets little snow. Annual snowfall ranges from about 7 inches (18 centimeters) in the mountains to light traces of snow in the south.
Economy
A variety of elements contribute to the strength of South Carolina’s economy. Service industries, from trade to tourism, provide jobs for the majority of the state’s workers. But manufacturing remains one of South Carolina’s most important economic activities. Chemicals and transportation equipment are the state’s most valuable manufactured items.
Natural resources
of South Carolina include rich soils, minerals, vast forests, and a plentiful water supply.
Soils.
The best soils in the state are in the Inner Coastal Plain section of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Deposits of silt from rivers have left a black loam along the river valleys. The red to brown Piedmont soils are generally less fertile.
Minerals.
Large deposits of kaolin (a kind of clay) occur in Aiken County. The Atlantic Coastal Plain region also has deposits of limestone, peat, and sand and gravel. The Piedmont and Blue Ridge areas have clays, granite, mica, sand, talc, topaz, and vermiculite.
Forests
cover about two-thirds of South Carolina’s land area. Loblollies and other pines, oaks, hickories, dogwoods, and red maples grow in the Piedmont. Slash and longleaf pines, oaks, hickories, magnolias, and bay trees are common in the Coastal Plain. Baldcypresses, black tupelos, sweet gums, and yellow-poplars grow in the swamps. Hemlocks are common in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and palmettos grow along the coast.
Service industries
account for the largest part of both South Carolina’s employment and its gross domestic product—the total value of all goods and services produced in the state in a year. Retail trade and personal services benefit greatly from tourism. The beaches, golf courses, and fashionable resort hotels of Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head attract visitors the year around. Tourism in Charleston focuses on the city’s colonial and pre-Civil War architecture. Spending by tourists adds billions of dollars to the state’s economy each year. 
Most of the state’s service industries are concentrated in the metropolitan areas. State government offices are based in Columbia. Many banks, hotels, restaurants, and retail trade establishments are in the Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach areas. South Carolina is the home of several military bases. These bases include Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, and Fort Jackson, which has a U.S. Army Training Center, near Columbia. Charleston, a major East Coast port, is the home of many large shipping companies.
Manufacturing.
The Greenville-Spartanburg area is the leading manufacturing area in South Carolina. The Aiken, Charleston, Columbia, Rock Hill, and Sumter areas are also important.
Chemicals and transportation equipment are South Carolina’s leading manufacturing products. Leading centers of chemical manufacturing include Aiken, Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg. Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts are the leading products of the transportation sector. BMW, one of Europe’s top automakers, has a plant in Greer. 
Fabricated metals, machinery, paper products, plastics and rubber products, and textiles are all primarily manufactured in the northwest corner of South Carolina. South Carolina ranks among the leading textile-producing states. The North American headquarters of Michelin, a major manufacturer of tires and other products, is in Greenville. Engines, transmission equipment, and turbines are the leading machinery products.
Agriculture.
Farmland covers about a fourth of the state’s total area. Much of the rest is covered by forests. Forestry is an important economic activity for many of the state’s people.
Livestock products provide more than half of South Carolina’s farm income. Broilers (young, tender chickens) are the state’s most valuable farm product. Cattle, eggs, hogs, and turkeys are also an important source of livestock income. The western half of South Carolina has the most poultry and egg farms. Many beef and dairy cattle are found in the northwest corner of the state. Hogs are raised primarily in the eastern part of the state.
Greenhouse and nursery plants are the most valuable crop in South Carolina. Tobacco is an important crop. South Carolina ranks among the leading tobacco-growing states. The eastern part of the state produces most of the tobacco. Farmers also raise corn, cotton, hay, peaches, peanuts, soybeans, and wheat.
Mining.
Crushed stone and cement are South Carolina’s most valuable mined products. Crushed stone is mined throughout the state. The state is an important producer of masonry cement. South Carolina is the only state to produce calcareous marl, used in making cement. The state is also a leading producer of granite, kaolin, and vermiculite.
Fishing industry.
Shrimp is South Carolina’s most valuable catch. Other catches include clams, crabs, oysters, snapper, and swordfish. The Charleston and Mount Pleasant areas form the state’s leading fishing port.
Electric power and utilities.
About half of South Carolina’s electric power is generated by plants that use nuclear energy. Most of the rest of the state’s electric power comes from plants that burn coal or natural gas. Some of the remaining power comes from renewable resources.
Transportation.
South Carolina has an extensive system of roads and highways. South Carolina’s chief airports are at Charleston, Columbia, Greenville-Spartanburg, and Myrtle Beach. Charleston has one of the country’s leading seaports. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is the chief inland shipping route (see Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway).
Communication.
The South Carolina Weekly Journal, the state’s first newspaper, was published for only six months, sometime between 1730 and 1732. Today, the largest papers include The Greenville News, The Post and Courier of Charleston, and The State of Columbia.
Government
Constitution
of South Carolina was adopted in 1895. The state’s six earlier constitutions were adopted in 1776, 1778, 1790, 1861, 1865, and 1868.
The Constitution has been amended (changed) about 500 times. The state legislature or a constitutional convention may propose an amendment. An amendment proposed by the legislature requires approval by two-thirds of the members of both the Senate and House of Representatives. Next, the amendment must have the approval of a majority of the people voting on it in a statewide election. To become law, the amendment must then be approved by a majority of members of the state legislature.
A two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature is required to call a constitutional convention. The convention also must be approved by a majority of the people voting on the issue in a statewide election.
Executive.
The governor of South Carolina is elected to a four-year term. The governor may not serve more than two terms in a row.
South Carolina voters also elect the lieutenant governor, attorney general, commissioner of agriculture, comptroller general, secretary of state, state treasurer, and superintendent of education. All these officials serve four-year terms.
Legislature,
called the General Assembly, consists of a 46-member Senate and a 124-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses are elected from single-member districts. Senators serve four-year terms, and representatives two-year terms. 
The legislature meets each year, starting on the second Tuesday in January. The legislature must adjourn by the first Thursday in June. Any extension of the session requires two-thirds approval by both houses. The governor may call special sessions.
Courts.
The Supreme Court is South Carolina’s highest court. It has a chief justice and four associate justices. The justices are elected by the legislature to 10-year terms. The South Carolina Court of Appeals shares appellate jurisdiction with the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals has nine judges elected by the legislature to six-year terms. Circuit courts of common pleas and general sessions are the chief trial courts. The legislature elects 49 circuit court judges to six-year terms. Supreme Court justices are usually chosen from among the circuit court judges.
Magistrates’ courts hear minor civil and criminal cases. The magistrates who head these courts are appointed by the governor, with the approval of the state Senate.
Local government.
County governments in South Carolina are headed by boards of county commissioners, county councils, or similar local boards. County commissioners or council members and their assistants carry out such government functions as enforcing laws and regulating taxes. Many of the county councils appoint professional administrators to direct the county government agencies. Chief county officials in South Carolina include the auditor, clerk of court, county attorney, sheriff, and treasurer.
South Carolina cities and towns operate under charters. Most of the state’s larger cities have the council-manager form of government. Most of the smaller cities have the mayor-council form.
Revenue.
Taxes account for about two-fifths of the state government’s general revenue (income). Most of the rest comes from federal grants and other U.S. government programs. A general sales tax and a personal income tax are South Carolina’s leading sources of tax revenue. Other important sources of tax revenue include taxes on alcoholic beverages, corporate income, motor fuels, and motor vehicle licenses. South Carolina uses funds from the motor-fuels tax to build and maintain highways. A state lottery helps finance public schools.
Politics.
The Democratic Party controlled South Carolina politics for much of the state’s history. But the Republican Party gained strength during the 1950’s and 1960’s. In 1964, Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina resigned from the Democratic Party and became a Republican. In 1974, James B. Edwards became the first Republican to be elected governor of the state in 100 years.
From 1880 through 1964, Democratic candidates won South Carolina’s electoral votes in every presidential election except 1948. Senator Thurmond, the candidate of the States’ Rights Democratic (Dixiecrat) Party, won the votes in 1948. Since 1964, the Republican candidate has won South Carolina’s electoral votes in almost all the presidential elections.
History
Early days.
More than 30 Indigenous (native) tribes lived in what is now South Carolina before white settlers came. The chief tribes were the Catawba, Cherokee, and Yamasee (or Yemasee). The Catawba belonged to the Siouan language family, the Cherokee to the Iroquoian language family, and the Yamasee to the Muskhogean language family. Indigenous people lived in semipermanent log shelters. Most of them raised crops.
Exploration and settlement.
In 1521, Francisco Gordillo led a Spanish expedition that explored the Carolina coast. Gordillo came from Spanish-held Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. In 1526, Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón, a judge from Santo Domingo on the island of Hispaniola, founded the first European settlement in what is now the United States. He named it San Miguel de Gualdape. Ayllón led about 600 people from Hispaniola to what historians believe may have been the coast of present-day Georgia or South Carolina. The colony lasted only about half a year. Disease and bad weather forced the settlers to return to Hispaniola. Between 1562 and 1565, French explorers tried to settle at Port Royal and at another place farther south. They failed, partly because they lacked food.
England claimed the entire North American mainland in the early 1600’s. The English based their claim on John Cabot’s voyage to America in 1497. In 1629, King Charles I of England granted North American land to Sir Robert Heath. Part of the grant was a strip of land that included what are now the states of South Carolina and North Carolina. The strip extended to the Pacific Ocean. The land was named Province of Carolana (land of Charles). The spelling was changed to Carolina in 1663. Heath made no attempts to establish settlements in the area of Carolina, though some colonists from Virginia settled in an area that would become part of North Carolina.
In 1663, King Charles II granted Carolina to eight English noblemen called lords proprietors. In 1669, the proprietors sent settlers to America. The settlers arrived in 1670 and set up South Carolina’s first permanent white settlement at Albemarle Point, near what is now Charleston. The colonists moved to Oyster Point in 1680, and named the settlement Charles Town. The spelling was changed to Charleston in 1783. 
Colonial days.
The proprietors wanted to limit self-government in Carolina. They also failed to protect the settlers when enemies threatened the colony. During Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713), the colonists turned back French and Spanish forces at Charleston. They successfully defended themselves against attacks by the Yamasee and against several pirate raids between 1715 and 1718. During these battles, the colonists received little help from the powerful proprietors. In 1719, the proprietors rejected laws requested by the colonists. As a result, the colonists rebelled that year.
The South Carolina area was the United Kingdom’s southern line of defense against French and Spanish attacks. Partly as a result, King George I was willing to accept the overthrow of proprietary rule in 1719 and to make South Carolina a royal colony. The United Kingdom ruled the colony, but allowed the people self-government. North and South Carolina had had separate governors since 1710. In 1729, the British government bought the property rights of the proprietors. In 1732, the southern part of South Carolina became the colony of Georgia.
During the mid-1700’s, many South Carolinians moved from coastal settlements to the Up Country. The Up Country population was also increased by waves of settlers from Pennsylvania and Virginia. By 1775, about 70,000 white people and about 100,000 Black people lived in South Carolina. Most of the Black people were enslaved.
The Revolutionary War.
During the 1760’s, the United Kingdom passed a series of laws that caused unrest in South Carolina and the other American colonies. Most of these laws set up new taxes or restricted colonial trade. Some South Carolinians, called Tories, urged loyalty to the United Kingdom in spite of the laws. But the majority of the people, called Whigs, favored independence. 
The Revolutionary War began in Massachusetts in 1775. South Carolina became the scene of many important battles. In June 1776, British land and sea forces attacked Charleston. But the colonists defeated the British in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. A second British attack on Charleston was turned back in 1779. The British captured the city in 1780. In August of that year, the British defeated colonial troops under General Horatio Gates at Camden. The British and their Tory allies then controlled most of South Carolina. Colonial victories in the Battle of Kings Mountain (Oct. 7, 1780) and at Cowpens (Jan. 17, 1781) turned the tide of war in the South. In 1781, colonial troops under General Nathanael Greene drove the main British army from South Carolina to Virginia. The South Carolina militia forced smaller British units from the area. Famous leaders of the militia included Francis Marion, called the Swamp Fox; Thomas Sumter, called the Gamecock; and Andrew Pickens. The British evacuated Charleston in 1782. During the war, more than 200 battles or smaller fights took place in the state. Most were fought between bands of Whigs and Tories.
On July 9, 1778, South Carolina ratified (approved) the Articles of Confederation, the forerunner of the United States Constitution. South Carolina became the eighth state of the Union on May 23, 1788, when it ratified the U.S. Constitution. 
Nullification.
South Carolina strongly supported states’ rights and free trade. The state’s people opposed federal tariffs because South Carolina’s economy depended heavily on trade with European nations. Tariffs, of course, discouraged this trade. A depression hit the United States in 1819, and South Carolinians blamed federal tariffs for their economic problems. In 1828, Congress passed a law that raised tariffs even higher than before. This law was called the “tariff of abominations.” Reaction against the federal government spread throughout the state. In 1828, Vice President John C. Calhoun, a South Carolinian, wrote the South Carolina Exposition. This document declared that no state was bound by a federal law which the state regarded as unconstitutional. After another high tariff law was passed in 1832, South Carolina adopted an Ordinance of Nullification. This ordinance declared the tariff acts of 1828 and 1832 “null and void.” President Andrew Jackson threatened to send troops to South Carolina to enforce the law. But Congress passed a compromise tariff bill in 1833, and the state repealed the Ordinance of Nullification. See Nullification.
The Civil War.
Shortly after the nullification crisis, an antislavery movement gained strength in the North. In 1850, a dispute between the North and South arose over whether slavery should be allowed in parts of the West. South Carolina threatened to secede (withdraw) from the Union. But little support came from other Southern states, and South Carolina took no further action. On Nov. 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a Northern Republican, was elected president. South Carolina feared Lincoln would use federal power to abolish slavery. On Dec. 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. By the spring of 1861, 10 other Southern states had joined the secession movement and had formed the Confederate States of America (see Confederate States of America).
The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Fighting raged along the South Carolina coast throughout the war. A blockade of Charleston Harbor by the Union fleet ruined South Carolina’s economy. In 1865, Union troops led by William T. Sherman destroyed many plantations in the state. Much of Columbia, the capital, burned while Union troops occupied it. They also burned Columbia, the capital. About a fourth of the 63,000 troops from South Carolina died during the war. 
Reconstruction.
During the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, Union troops occupied South Carolina and the other Southern states. The Republican Party in the state was made up chiefly of Black Americans, Union sympathizers from the South called scalawags, and former Northerners called carpetbaggers. The Republicans controlled the government during part of the Reconstruction period, and had the support of the Union troops. In 1868, South Carolina adopted a new state constitution. The new constitution gave Black citizens the right to vote. Congress readmitted South Carolina to the Union on June 25, 1868.
In 1876, Wade Hampton, a Democrat and a Confederate cavalry hero, defeated the Republican candidate for governor. The Republicans challenged the election results, and South Carolina had rival state governments for several months. President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew the federal troops from South Carolina in March 1877. Republican power then collapsed, and the Democrats gained control of the state.
Industrial growth
began in South Carolina during the late 1800’s. Farm profits had declined greatly after the Civil War. The decline was caused chiefly by competition from many new farms in the Western United States. About 1880, South Carolina business owners began expanding the textile industry. Hydroelectric power, rather than direct water power, became the source of energy for many textile mills. Thousands of farmers living in poverty welcomed the chance to work in the mills, even at low wages. A number of textile companies moved from the North to South Carolina, partly to take advantage of this inexpensive labor.
During the late 1800’s, a group of Democrats called Tillmanites gained control of South Carolina politics. The group was led by Benjamin R. Tillman. Before 1890, a group called the Bourbon Democrats ran South Carolina politics. The Bourbon Democrats were lawyers, planters, and business executives whose strength was in the Low Country. Owners of small farms, especially those in the Up Country, protested the Bourbon rule after farm prices dropped. Tillman campaigned for widespread reforms in state government, and was elected governor in 1890. The Tillmanites rewrote the state Constitution, and all but eliminated Black voting rights. Tillman became a U.S. senator in 1895, and remained a powerful force in South Carolina politics until his death in 1918.
After the United States entered World War I in 1917, the state’s textile mills produced large amounts of cloth for the armed forces. By 1920, the textile industry employed about 54,600 workers and was still growing.
The boll weevil damaged much cotton in South Carolina during the 1920’s. Many farmers began raising other crops, including fruits, tobacco, and wheat. But cotton remained the main farm product. The Great Depression of the 1930’s caused widespread unemployment in South Carolina. Economic conditions improved as the depression eased in the late 1930’s.
The mid-1900’s
brought great economic growth to South Carolina as the state shifted from a chiefly agricultural to a more industrial economy. In 1941, the South Carolina Public Service Authority completed the Santee-Cooper navigational canal and power dam between the Santee and Cooper rivers. This $57-million project supplied electric power and helped industry. During World War II (1939-1945), many military bases were established in the state. Some remained open after the war.
In 1953, operations began at the Savannah River Plant of the Atomic Energy Commission near Aiken. This plant helped the state become a leader in producing nuclear materials. The facility is now known as the Savannah River Site. It is operated by Washington Savannah River Company for the U.S. Department of Energy.
During the 1960’s, South Carolina industry continued to expand, largely through programs sponsored by the State Development Board. Various companies built manufacturing facilities worth nearly $4 billion.
In the mid-1900’s, the Democratic Party lost much of its traditional control of South Carolina politics. In 1948, Governor Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was nominated for president by the States’ Rights Democratic (Dixiecrat) Party. Thurmond received the electoral votes of four states—Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. In the 1952, 1956, and 1960 presidential elections, the Democrats barely won South Carolina. Then, in 1964, the state’s electoral votes went to the Republican candidate, Barry M. Goldwater, by a large majority. The state also supported Republican Richard M. Nixon for president in 1968. Thurmond, who had first been elected to the U.S. Senate in 1954, left the Democratic Party in 1964 and became a Republican. In the mid-1900’s, several Republicans were elected to the state legislature and some were elected mayors and city council members.
Since the late 1940’s, Black people in South Carolina have been voting in growing numbers. During the 1960’s, Black candidates were elected to several local offices, including city council member and school trustee. In 1970, three Black candidates won election to the state House of Representatives, becoming the first Black people to serve as representatives since 1902.
South Carolina schools changed greatly following the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States prohibiting compulsory school segregation. Traditionally, the state had operated separate schools for Black and white students. In the 1960’s, most of South Carolina’s school districts became integrated.
The late 1900’s.
During the early 1970’s, Republicans increasingly began to offer candidates at almost all levels of government. Many of these candidates sought offices traditionally held by Democrats without opposition. In 1972, Nixon carried South Carolina again. In 1974, James B. Edwards became the first Republican to be elected governor of the state in 100 years. Thurmond continued to win reelection to the U.S. Senate. In 1996, he won his eighth term. He was then 93 and the oldest person ever to serve in Congress. In 1983, I. DeQuincey Newman, a Methodist minister, became the first African American to serve in the state Senate since 1888.
Black and white Republicans continued to take a larger role in South Carolina politics. More and more African American voters supported the Democratic Party. As a result, a growing number of Black candidates were elected and were having an influence on party policies.
South Carolina worked to encourage further industrial growth. At the same time, the state became increasingly concerned about air and water pollution.
In the 1980’s, South Carolina began working to provide better education for its students. In 1984, the state passed the Education Improvement Act. This act raised the state’s education standards and provided more money for elementary and secondary education.
In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina. Charleston and other parts of the central coast were especially hard hit. The hurricane killed 18 people in South Carolina and caused $5 billion in property damage.
The early 2000’s.
After almost 50 years in the Senate, Strom Thurmond retired in January 2003, at age 100. He died the following June.
In late 2003, President George W. Bush signed legislation designating Congaree Swamp National Monument a national park. Congaree National Park, which lies southeast of Columbia in central South Carolina, became the first national park in the state. In 2011, Nikki Haley took office as governor of South Carolina. She became the first woman governor of the state and the first woman of Asian Indian origin to hold such an office. Lieutenant Governor Henry McMaster succeeded Haley as governor in 2017 after she was named the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
In October 2015, heavy rains struck South Carolina and other parts of the Atlantic Coast. Historic flooding occurred in Columbia, Charleston, Georgetown, and other parts of the state. Rivers overran their banks, and a number of dams failed. At least 17 people were killed. In September 2018, Hurricane Florence brought strong winds and more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain to parts of the Carolinas, killing more than 30 people. A number of other people died in incidents during the aftermath of the storm. In South Carolina, many rivers flooded their banks, prompting a number of evacuations.
