Introduction:
South Carolina is located in the southeastern region of the United States. To the north is North Carolina, to the south and west is Georgia, and the Atlantic Ocean is to the east.
South Carolina was the 8th state to ratify the Constitution and join the newly forming United States of America. South Carolina was also the first state to vote to leave the Union in December of 1860. South Carolina rejoined the United States in 1868.
South Carolina is the ranks 40th in size among the states but is 23rd in population measure.
South Carolina is named for King Charles I of England as it was he who first formed the English colony in the area.
Geography:
South Carolina can be roughly divided into three geographic areas. Furthest to the east is the Atlantic coastal plain, known locally as the Low Country.
Moving to the west comes to Piedmont and then the Blue Ridge Mountains.
These later two form what is locally known as Up Country. The Low Country makes up two-thirds of the state with the easternmost boundary being the Sea Islands, a chain of tidal and barrier islands.
The state’s coastline contains many salt marshes and estuaries, as well as natural ports such as Georgetown and Charleston.
The Upstate region contains the roots of an ancient, eroded mountain chain.
It is generally hilly and contains few areas suitable for farming, however, much of the Piedmont was once farmed. Due to the changing economics of farming, much of the land is now reforested in Loblolly pine for the lumber industry.
The Blue Ridge Region is the area of highest elevation containing a part of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Sassafras Mountain, located in the Blue Ridge, is South Carolina’s highest point at 3,560 at feet.
History:
There is evidence of human activity in the area about 40,000 years ago. At the time Europeans arrived around 1600, there were many separate Native American tribes, the largest being the Cherokee, and the Catawba.
The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area. They were soon followed by various French groups. The Spanish and the French fought among themselves over several decades of time, establishing and abandoning various settlements. The Spanish emerged triumphant only to face threats from the English Navy.
In 1629, King Charles I of England established the Province of Carolina, an area covering what is now South and North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
In 1663, Charles II granted the land to eight Lords Proprietors in return for their financial and political assistance in restoring him to the throne in 1660. In the 1670s, English planters from Barbados established themselves near what is now Charleston.
Settlers built rice plantations in the South Carolina Low Country. Settlers came from all over Europe. Plantation labor was done by African slaves who formed the majority of the population by 1720. Another cash crop was the indigo plant a source of blue dye. Upstate South Carolina was settled by small farmers and traders. In 1719, the colony was officially made a crown colony. In 1729 North Carolina was split off into a separate colony.