History of South Carolina

The area of South Carolina has been inhabited since 13,000 BC. These people were generally hunters. With the coming of Woodland period, the region saw some development in agriculture and pottery. By the time the Europeans reached this region, around 29 Native American tribes inhabited the region.

The English settled the colony of Carolina. They were mostly from Barbados and were granted a royal charter to settle the region by King Charles. It was settled to make profit from trade and business. But soon it split into two colonies, North and South Carolina. The reasons for the division were political in nature and in 1729, Carolina became two royal colonies.

South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation on February 5, 1778. Two years later, the region was recaptured by the British. Battle of Cowpens was fought on January 17, 1781. It was fought between the American Revolutionary forces and the British and was a turning point in the history of South Carolina. American Revolutionary forces defeated the British and regained the land. Carolina became the 8th state to ratify the United States Constitution, on May 23, 1788.

South Carolina declared its secession from the Union when the news came that Lincoln would be the next president. It declared its secession on December 20, 1860. No major battles were fought in the state, although a number of troops participated in the Confederate campaigns. Most of the central city was damaged during the civil war which turned the state into one of the poorest state in the Union. During the Reconstruction(1865-1877), South Carolina was restored to the union and freedmen were granted limited rights.