South Carolina

one of the original states of the American Union. It is popularly known as "The Palmetto State." It lies on the Atlantic between Georgia and North Carolina. The state is irregularly triangular in shape with the short side resting on the ocean and the apex in the mountains. Area, 33,393 square miles. The state is well watered. The rivers run southeastward into the Atlantic. The best known are the "Broad Santee" and the Savannah on the southern border. Like those of North Carolina, they are navigable inward to the "fall line" or granite beach, over which the streams descend into the coast plain.

CHARACTERISTICS. Three physical divisions of coastal plain, piedmont, and mountain are clearly marked. Along the coast the tides rise and fall from three to nine feet and rush inland from ten to thirty miles. The lowlands along the streams are inclosed with dikes through which the fresh water at low tide is allowed to flood the rice fields in season, and by which the water may be kept out when it is necessary to have the fields dry for seeding and harvest. This is the region, not only of rice fields, but of long staple cotton and of truck gardening and of the orange, fig, live oak, and palmetto. Early peas, cabbage, and beans are shipped to the large cities. Farther inland lie two parallel belts, a lower and an upper. In the uplands, turpentine and pine lumber are the chief products. The lowlands produce corn and cotton. Asparagus, early potatoes, watermelons, and cantaloupes are raised for the Northern market. Sweet potatoes grow to perfection, 400 bushels to the acre. Frost interferes with the garden so little that fresh vegetables may be had from the garden every day in the year. A fifty-mile belt of red sand hills forms the borderline between the coast plain and the foothills. It is well adapted to raising peaches, grapes, corn, cotton, and melons.

The piedmont or foothill region is full of rapids and valuable waterpowers awaiting development. The sands of nearly every stream contain more or less gold. There are quarries of millstone, granite, limestone, marble, talc, mica, slate, and asbestos. There are thirty-one small gold mines and veins of tin, silver, iron, lead, and copper. Rubies, beryl, and corundum are found.

The extreme western corner of the state lies in the mountains. King's Mountain rises to a height of 1,692 feet. Its southeastern face is a bold precipice 500 feet high. Table Rock, another noted mountain, has a vertical face on the southwest of 900 feet. This part of the state is much frequented during the warm season. The valleys are fertile and rich in corn and orchards. An abundance of the best quality of cotton and extensive water power has led to a recent development of cotton spinning. In this line of manufacture South Carolina ranks second to Massachusetts. The transmission of power by electricity promises much for the state. The total value of manufactured products for 1900 was $59,682,110. In point of value, the chief crops of the state rank, cotton, grain, live stock and dairy products, vegetables, hay, tobacco. Cotton brings in a full half of the farmer's income.

HISTORICAL. The first attempt of Europeans to settle in the New World was made by French Huguenots at Port Royal, May 27, 1562. They lost their supplies by fire and returned to France. A century later, in 1670 to be exact, the English founded a permanent colony at the present site of Charleston. Carolina was granted to eight proprietors in 1665. Slavery was introduced in 1671. Settlers from England were reinforced by many Huguenot settlers from France, Highlanders from Scotland after the defeat of Culloden, and refugees from Pennsylvania and Virginia after Braddock's defeat. The early colonists trafficked with the Indians for furs and game. The colony never suffered severely from Indian hostilities. Cattle were introduced at an early date. Until 1882 cattle had the freedom of the country, when a law was passed requiring each owner to restrain his own stock. Up to that time each farmer was required to protect his own crops.

At the time of the Revolution the exports of Carolina, chiefly rice and indigo, were already $5,000,000 a year. The colony was prosperous and had little cause for complaint, yet cast in its lot with the other colonies most loyally. Beginning with the gallant defense of Palmetto Fort in Charleston Harbor by Colonel Moultrie, there were 137 engagements with the British within her borders. The colonies rang with the exploits of Sumter, Marion, Pickens, and other partisan leaders. South Carolina contributed both men and money far above her quota, ranking next to Massachusetts. The state ceded its western lands to the general government. In 1790 the capital was removed from Charleston to Columbia. During the early decades of the Republic, South Carolina sent men of ability to Congress and took a prominent part in national politics. Owing to the adaptability of slave labor to the cultivation of rice and cotton, slavery took root firmly. At the approach of the Civil War, South Carolina was the first to secede. The state furnished 71,088 soldiers to the Confederacy.

EDUCATION. A double system of public education has been provided, one for whites and one for colored children. There is a state university for whites at Columbia and a collegiate institution for colored students at Orangeburg.

POPULATION. In 1900 the population was reported at 1,340,316. Of this total 782,224, or fifty-eight per cent, were negroes. In 1880 the negroes formed sixty per cent of the population. The negroes are prevented from voting by public sentiment and an educational clause. One-fifth of the people live in towns. Charleston is the largest city. At the time of the Revolution, it ranked next to Philadelphia, New York and Boston. It is now the sixty-eighth city in the Union.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

See Charleston; Calhoun; Rice; Cotton; Nullification