{"id":668,"date":"2018-07-18T04:00:29","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=668"},"modified":"2018-07-19T19:20:13","modified_gmt":"2018-07-19T19:20:13","slug":"south-carolina-the-palmetto-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/south-carolina-the-palmetto-state\/","title":{"rendered":"South Carolina – The Palmetto State"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

South Carolina is located in the southeastern region of the United States.\u00a0 To the north is North Carolina, to the south and west is Georgia, and the Atlantic Ocean is to the east.<\/p>\n

\"\"
South Carolina in the United States<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

South Carolina was the 8th state to ratify the Constitution and join the newly forming United States of America.\u00a0 South Carolina was also the first state to vote to leave the Union in December of 1860.\u00a0 South Carolina rejoined the United States in 1868.<\/p>\n

South Carolina is the ranks 40th in size among the states but is 23rd in population measure.<\/p>\n

South Carolina is named for King Charles I of England<\/a> as it was he who first formed the English colony in the area.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

South Carolina can be roughly divided into three geographic areas.\u00a0 Furthest to the east is the Atlantic coastal plain, known locally as the Low Country.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Congaree Swamp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moving to the west comes to Piedmont and then the Blue Ridge Mountains.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Francis Marion Forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These later two form what is locally known as Up Country.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Edisto Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The state’s coastline contains many salt marshes and estuaries, as well as natural ports such as Georgetown<\/a> and Charleston<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Upstate region contains the roots of an ancient, eroded mountain chain.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Table Rock Mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is generally hilly and contains few areas suitable for farming, however, much of the Piedmont was once farmed.\u00a0 Due to the changing economics of farming, much of the land is now reforested in Loblolly pine for the lumber industry.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sassafras Mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

There is evidence of human activity in the area about 40,000 years ago. \u00a0At the time Europeans arrived around 1600, there were many separate Native American tribes, the largest being the Cherokee<\/a>, and the Catawba<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area.\u00a0 They were soon followed by various French groups.\u00a0 The Spanish and the French fought among themselves over several decades of time, establishing and abandoning various settlements.\u00a0 The Spanish emerged triumphant only to face threats from the English Navy.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 In the 1670s, English planters from Barbados<\/a> established themselves near what is now Charleston.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Settlers built rice plantations in the South Carolina Low Country. \u00a0Settlers came from all over Europe. Plantation labor was done by African slaves who formed the majority of the population by 1720.\u00a0 Another cash crop was the indigo<\/a> plant a source of blue dye.\u00a0 Upstate South Carolina was settled by small farmers and traders.\u00a0 In 1719, the colony was officially made a crown colony. \u00a0In 1729 North Carolina was split off into a separate colony.<\/p>\n

By the second half of the 1700s South Carolina was one of the richest of what were about to become the Thirteen Colonies.<\/p>\n

In February, 1778, South Carolina became the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation<\/a>, the initial governing document of the United States, and in May 1788, South Carolina ratified the United States Constitution, becoming the eighth state to enter the union.<\/p>\n

During the American Revolutionary War (1775\u20131783), about a third of combat action took place in South Carolina, more than in any other state.\u00a0 Inhabitants of the state endured being invaded by English forces and an ongoing civil war between loyalists and partisans that devastated the backcountry.<\/p>\n

In the period before the Civil War the state’s economy and population grew. \u00a0Cotton became an important crop after the invention of the cotton gin.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cotton Gin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As dissatisfaction with the federal government grew, in the 1820s John C. Calhoun<\/a> became a leading proponent of states’ rights, limited government, nullification of the US Constitution, and free trade.\u00a0 Abraham Lincoln was elected president on 6 November 1860. The state House of Representatives immediately passed the “Resolution to Call the Election of Abraham Lincoln as U.S. President a Hostile Act, 9 November 1860”, and within weeks South Carolina became the first state to declare secession from the United States.<\/p>\n

On April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries began shelling the Union-held Fort Sumter<\/a> in Charleston Harbor, after US troops refusal to leave the fort peacefully, and the American Civil War began.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fort Sumter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In November of that year the Union attacked Port Royal Sound and soon occupied Beaufort County and the neighboring Sea Islands. For the rest of the war this area served as a Union base and staging point for other operations.<\/p>\n

Although the state was not a major battleground, the war ruined the economy.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Civil War Devastation in Charleston<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Under conscription, all men aged 18\u201335 (later 45) were drafted for Confederate service. More than 60,000 served, and the state lost nearly one-third of the white male population of fighting age.<\/p>\n

At the end of the war in early 1865, the troops of General William Tecumseh Sherman marched across the state devastating plantations and most of Columbia.<\/p>\n

Early in the 20th century, South Carolina developed a thriving textile industry. The state also converted its agricultural base from cotton to more profitable crops; attracted large military bases through its powerful Democratic congressional delegation; and created tourism industries.<\/p>\n

The struggle of the civil rights movement took place in South Carolina as they did in other Southern states. \u00a0However, South Carolina experience a much less violent movement than Mississippi, Alabama, North Louisiana, or North Florida.\u00a0 This tranquil transition from a Jim Crow<\/a> society occurred because the state\u2019s white and black leaders were willing to accept slow change.<\/p>\n

As the 21st century progresses, South Carolina attracts new business by having a 5% corporate income tax rate, no state property tax, no local income tax, no inventory tax, no sales tax on manufacturing equipment, industrial power or materials for finished products; no wholesale tax, no unitary tax on worldwide profits.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Major agricultural outputs of the state are tobacco, poultry, cotton, cattle, dairy products, soybeans, hay, rice, and swine. \u00a0Industrial outputs include textile goods, chemical products, paper products, machinery, automobiles, automotive products and tourism.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Myrtle Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many large corporations have moved their locations to South Carolina. \u00a0Boeing<\/a> opened an aircraft manufacturing facility in Charleston in 2011, which serves as one of two final assembly sites for the 787 Dreamliner<\/a>.\u00a0 Domtar<\/a>, located in Rock Hill, is the only Fortune 500 company headquartered in South Carolina.\u00a0 The Fortune 1000 list includes SCANA<\/a>, Sonoco Products<\/a> and ScanSource<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Amtrak operates four passenger routes in South Carolina: the Crescent<\/a>, the Palmetto<\/a>, the Silver Meteor<\/a>, and the Silver Star<\/a>. The Crescent route serves the Upstate cities, the Silver Star serves the Midlands cities, and the Palmetto and Silver Meteor routes serve the low country cities.<\/p>\n

There are several significant airports in South Carolina, all of which act as regional airport hubs. The busiest by passenger volume is Charleston International Airport<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Charleston Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other significant airports include:<\/p>\n

Columbia Metropolitan Airport<\/a>, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport<\/a>, Myrtle Beach International Airport<\/a> , and Hilton Head Airport<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Columbia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Flag:<\/h2>\n

In 1775, Colonel William Moultrie was asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety to design a flag for the South Carolina troops to use during the American Revolutionary War. \u00a0Moultrie’s design had the blue of the militia’s uniforms and the crescent, a symbol which also appeared on the militia\u2019s uniforms. It was first flown at Fort Johnson.\u00a0 This flag was flown in the defense of a new fortress on Sullivan’s Island, when Moultrie faced off against a British fleet.\u00a0 Soon popularly known as either the Liberty Flag or Moultrie Flag, it became the standard of the South Carolinian militia, and was presented in Charleston, by Major General Nathanael Greene, when that city was liberated at the end of the war.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Moultrie Flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The palmetto was added in 1861, also a reference to Moultrie’s defense of Sullivan’s Island; the fortress he’d constructed had survived largely because the palmettos, laid over sand walls, were able to withstand British cannon.<\/p>\n

\"\"
South Carolina Flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the flag invariably includes a white palmetto and crescent design on a blue background, state law does not provide “specifications for the shape, size, design or placement” of the symbols, or the exact color of the background.\u00a0 As a result, flags from different manufacturers may have different appearances.<\/p>\n

The State Nickname – The Palmetto State:<\/h2>\n

This nickname refers to South Carolina’s official State Tree, the Sabal Palmetto.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sabal Palmetto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Palmetto is rooted in historical significance dating back to the Revolutionary War as discussed above.<\/p>\n

Next Up:<\/h2>\n

Stay tuned as we turn back to New England for the next state to join the Union: New Hampshire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1775, Colonel William Moultrie was asked by the Revolutionary Council of Safety to design a flag for the South Carolina troops to use during the American Revolutionary War. Moultrie’s design had the blue of the militia’s uniforms and the crescent, a symbol which also appeared on the militia\u2019s uniforms. It was first flown at Fort Johnson. This flag was flown in the defense of a new fortress on Sullivan’s Island, when Moultrie faced off against a British fleet. Soon popularly known as either the Liberty Flag or Moultrie Flag, it became the standard of the South Carolinian militia, and was presented in Charleston, by Major General Nathanael Greene, when that city was liberated at the end of the war.
\nThe palmetto was added in 1861, also a reference to Moultrie’s defense of Sullivan’s Island; the fortress he’d constructed had survived largely because the palmettos, laid over sand walls, were able to withstand British cannon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5,6,7,41,43,40,42],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}