Encyclopedia
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.
South Carolina Nicknames
- The Palmetto State
- Cackalacky or South Cackalacky
- The Prostrate State
Geography
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.
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, also known as the
Lowcountry, which is nearly flat and 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.
The
Piedmont region 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 is a scenic driving route through this area.
Highest in elevation is the
Upstate, 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 at 3,560
feet 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.
Areas under the management of the
National Park Service include:
See: List of South Carolina counties.History
Main article: History of South Carolina The colony of Carolina was settled by English settlers, mostly from
Barbados, 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, following the Great Wagon Road. North Carolina was split off in 1712. Carolina became a royal colony 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 became the 8th state on May 23, 1788.
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the
United States on December 20, 1860 towards forming 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.
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 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 five largest ancestry groups in South Carolina are
African American ,
American ,
German , English ,
Irish . 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 majority of South Carolina's population. African-Americans still dominate most of the 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:
- Christian – 92%
- Protestant – 84%
- Roman Catholic – 7%
- Other Christian – 1%
- Other Religions – 1%
- Non-Religious – 7%
Economy
As of 2004, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, South Carolina’s gross state product was $136 billion. As of 2000, the per capita income was $24,000, which was 81% of the national average.
Major agricultural outputs of the state are: tobacco, poultry, cattle, dairy products, soybeans, and hogs. Industrial outputs include: textile goods, chemical products, paper products, machinery, and tourism.
The state sales tax is 5 percent. Counties have the option to impose an additional 2 percent sales tax. Citizens 85 or older get a one-percent exclusion from the state's 5 percent sales tax. Property tax is administered and collected by local governments with assistance from the South Carolina Department of Revenue. Both real and personal property are subject to tax. Approximately two-thirds of county-levied property taxes are used for the support of public education. The passage of a recent state law will replace local property tax funding of education with a statewide 1% sales tax increase. Sales tax on groceries will be reduced to 3%. Municipalities levy a tax on property situated within the limits of the municipality for services provided by the municipality. The tax is paid by individuals, corporations and partnerships owning property within the state. South Carolina imposes a casual excise tax of 5 percent on the fair market value of all motor vehicles, motorcycles, boats, motors and airplanes transferred between individuals. The maximum casual excise tax is $300. In South Carolina, intangible personal property is exempt from taxation. There is no inheritance tax.
Even though the State of South Carolina does not allow legalized casino gambling it did allow the operation of Video Poker Machines throughout the state with approximately $2 billion dollars per year deposited into the state's coffers. However, at Midnight on July 1, 2000 a new law took effect which outlawed the operation, ownership and possession of Video Poker Machines in the state with machines required to be shut-off at that time and remove from within the state's borders by July 8th or owners of such machines would face criminal prosecution.
Transportation
Major interstate highways passing through the state include:
I-20,
I-26,
I-77,
I-85, and
I-95.
Amtrak passes through Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg, Florence, and Charleston.
Commercial airports are located in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville/Spartanburg, Florence, Myrtle Beach, and Hilton Head Island.
Law and government
South Carolina's state government consists of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. The governor is elected for a four-year term and may serve two consecutive terms. He heads the Executive branch . The current governor is Mark Sanford. 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 county.
The Supreme Court is South Carolina's highest court. Comprised of the Chief Justice, and four Associate Justices, Supreme Court judges are elected 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, but there is a mandatory retirement age of 72. The overwhelming majority of vacancies on the Court occur when Justices reach this age, not through the refusal of the General Assembly to elect a sitting Justice to another term.
See also List of Governors of South CarolinaLaw Enforcement Agencies
Important cities and towns
The capital is
Columbia. Other notable cities are Anderson,
Charleston,
Greenville,
Myrtle Beach,
Rock Hill, and
Spartanburg.
Education
...
Miscellaneous topics
Famous people from South Carolina
- Bill Anderson -- born James William Anderson III on November 1, 1937 in Columbia -- is an American country music singer and songwriter, nicknamed "Whisperin' Bill." Arguably his biggest hit was the 1963 single "Still."
- Charlotta Bass born in Sumter, South Carolina. A newspaper publisher in Los Angeles California and the first African-American woman on a Presidential campaign ticket in 1952.
- Ben Bernanke , Graduated from high school in Dillon 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 . The "Godfather of Soul," legendary singer and member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- Shelton Benjamin , born and raised in Orangeburg, he is a professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler now working for World Wrestling Entertainment's RAW is the Monday night professional wrestling [i] television program [i] for World Wrestling Entertainment [i] ...
brand. - James F. Byrnes born in Charleston, Secretary of State under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, also served as Governor of South Carolina and as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Time Magazine's Person of the Year 1947.
- John C. Calhoun , 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 , born in Woodruff. Casey is a Trivia Guinness World Record Holder and a nationally syndicated newspaper trivia columnist who appeared as a contestant on NBC's "The Weakest Link".
- Harry Carson, American football player, , inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 5, 2006.
- Chubby Checker, singer, born Ernest Evans in Spring Gulley.
- Stephen Euin Cobb, science fiction author and host of The Future And You, born in Orangeburg on February 3, 1955.
- Stephen Colbert has been a correspondent for Comedy Central's The Daily Show
