National South Carolina Day

Okay, so in honor of today, I am going to post National South Carolina Day today because I missed the opportunity on August 31st. Better late than never as they say. As stated in the past, we are going to post each state in the order that it entered the Union. Unfortunately, we missed this one. So let’s take a look at this state, shall we? We borrowed the idea from “Celebrate Everyday” blog post. Please don’t think we re-post their posts, but rather highlight different aspects of each state. We think the idea to celebrate each state in our great country is patriotic.

#NationalSouthCarolinaDay

South Carolina became the eighth state to enter the Union on May 23, 1788. This state has quite a rich history and we’ll try to touch on some of it today. European exploration began in April of 1540 and with them it brought disease. This was not intentional of course, but it did decimate the native (Indigenous) population. In 1663 England granted eight parcels of land to wealthy farmers who migrated there (along with their slaves) from Barbados which was an English-settled colony as well. The biggest crops of the time were what were considered the commodity crops of sugar and cotton. In 1712 the Province of Carolina was split into two colonies; North and South.

In the first half of the 20th century, many blacks left the state to go to northern cities during the Great Migration. During the Jim Crow era, segregation was rigidly enforced, limiting African Americans’ chances for education, free public movement, and closing them out of the political system. The federal Civil Rights laws of the 1960s ended segregation, and protected the voting rights of African Americans. Until the mid-20th century, the state was politically a part of the Democratic Solid South. Many African Americans had been affiliated with the Republican Party, but after 1964, became mostly loyal Democrats, while most white conservatives flipped to being Republican.

www.Wikipedia.com

National South Carolina Day & industry

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the top commodities in South Carolina in the eighteenth century were cotton and sugar. That wasn’t all – they also grew tobacco, indigo, and rice. However, the industry is a little different here in the 21st century. In the early 21st century, South Carolina’s economic industries included markets such as aerospace, agribusiness, automotive manufacturing, and tourism.

Fun facts about South Carolina

• South Carolina is the location of the first major battle in the US Civil War. It started, officially, at Fort Sumter.
• Some of the biggest stars to come out of the state include Godfather of Soul James Brown, tennis star Althea Gibson, and Wheel of Fortune’s Vanna White.
• Johnston, South Carolina has the honor of being the ‘capital of the world’ when it comes to peach growth. Click here for our peach pie recipe.
• South Carolina is small enough to fit into Alaska, the largest state in the US, up to 21 times!
• No other states in the US grow tea from the land – South Carolina has that unique honor. In fact, there is a famous ‘sweet tea trail’ in Summerville, where visitors can sample local brews and learn more about the drink’s history in the region.
• The state is also home to the biggest waterfall cascade in the US, the Upper Whitewater Walls. If you were to measure them, you’d find that they extend up to 411 feet!
• The movie, The Notebook was filmed and set in South Carolina.
• Former United States president, Andrew Jackson, was born in “the backwoods” of South Carolina, just outside North Carolina, in 1757.
• South Carolina is divided into two broad regions. The Up Country and the Low Country.
• Poinsett Bridge is the oldest bridge in South Carolina. The bridge, built in 1820, is no longer in use. However, the structure stands intact to this day.

•  SC has a tree called the Angel Oak expected to be between 400 and 500 years old. The 65-foot-tree has survived hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. This old tree stands about 66 ½ feet tall and is 28 feet wide in circumference. Its huge canopy provides enough shade to cover a 17,200 square feet area.