South Carolina's agricultural production brought the state huge profits and growth in the early years of its development. The plantations also caused turmoil in South Carolina history.
These eight events reveal how South Carolina endured its problems and grew as a state:
1. English settlers colonized the area now known as South Carolina in 1670. As the population grew, the plantation farms made the slave trade highly profitable.
According to History.com, nearly two-thirds of the colony's population consisted of African-Americans by 1730.
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2. Although an area of turmoil in the creation of the nation, South Carolina was also the location of America's first golf course in 1786. Charleston residents had inherited their interest in golf from Scotland, which sent them golf balls and clubs from the land where the sport had been developed.
3. Along with being the first state to secede from the Union in 1861, South Carolina was also the site for the start of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was fired upon by Confederate troops on April 12, 1861.
4. According to History.com, South Carolina was a key target in the march of Union Gen. William T. Sherman in 1865. The city of Columbia was captured and burned. More than two-thirds of the city was destroyed.
5. Known for his early segregationist views that were later modified, former governor Strom Thurmond was the first write-in candidate elected to the U.S. Senate in 1954. Thurmond remained a key figure in the Senate for 47 years, according to History.com.
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6. South Carolina history as a part of the Confederacy remains controversial. A Confederate flag that waved from the dome on top of the State House in Columbia was removed in 2000 in response to protests. The flag was placed on the grounds near the Confederate Solider Monument.
7. The state made considerable strides in reversing its segregationist past with public schools becoming fully integrated in 1970. That same year, voters elected the first black state representatives in the 20th century. The first black state senator and U.S. representative were elected in 1983 and 1992, respectively, since reconstruction.
8. South Carolina had seven constitutions between 1776 and 1895. The last of these was revised considerably in 1970 and since that time, the constitution has been amended more than 400 times.
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