History of South Carolina

The history of South Carolina spans Indigenous societies, European colonization, plantation slavery, the American Revolution and Civil War, Reconstruction, and modern statehood.

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Charlesfort: A short-lived French settlement founded on Parris Island in 1562. Its brief existence preceded lasting European colonization in the region.
South Carolina rice plantations: Plantations that produced rice in South Carolina's coastal wetlands using enslaved labor and specialized water control. Rice profits and the labor system sustaining them concentrated wealth and political influence.
Catawba people: An Indigenous people of the Carolina Piedmont whose communities and descendants remain in South Carolina. Catawba history anchors the state's story before and beyond European settlement.
American Revolutionary War in the Southern theater: The Revolutionary War campaign fought across the southern colonies and states, especially from 1778 to 1781. South Carolina's battles and partisan warfare became central to the war's southern campaign.
History of North Carolina: The history of North Carolina from Indigenous societies and colonization to its development as a United States state. The neighboring state shared colonial origins but developed a distinct political and economic profile.
Province of Carolina: An English colony established in the seventeenth century that later divided into North and South Carolina. Its settlement and division established South Carolina's colonial foundations.
South Carolina slave codes: Laws that restricted the movement, rights, and assembly of enslaved people in South Carolina. These statutes enforced racial slavery and shaped daily life across the colony and state.
John C. Calhoun: An American politician from South Carolina who championed states' rights and slavery. His political theories gave national influence to arguments central to South Carolina's antebellum politics.
American Civil War: The 1861–1865 war between the United States and the Confederacy over secession and slavery. South Carolina's secession and the attack on Fort Sumter helped begin the conflict.
History of Georgia: The history of Georgia from Indigenous societies and British colonization through statehood and modern times. Georgia offers a neighboring comparison of plantation expansion, slavery, and southern political change.