History of Charleston, South Carolina
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The history of Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the longest and most diverse of any community in the United States, spanning hundreds of years of physical settlement beginning in 1670. Charleston was one of leading cities in the South from the colonial era to the Civil War in the 1860s.[1][2] The city grew wealthy through the export of rice and, later, sea island cotton and it was the base for many wealthy merchants and landowners. Charleston was the capital of American slavery.[3]
The devastation of the Civil War and the ruin of the Charleston's hinterland lost the city its regional dominance. However, it would remain the center of the South Carolina economy. In the ensuing decades of the late 19th century, upstate politicians would routinely attack its aristocratic and undemocratic tone. By the 1900s, Charleston was emerging as a cultural center. In the 1920s, the Charleston Renaissance saw a boom in the arts sector as artists, writers, architects, and historical preservationists came together to improve the city. Preservation efforts of historic buildings and sites had been put into place by the 1940s.[4]
Beginning and during World War II, Charleston became a major naval base. A Naval presence, shipyards, the surrounding medical industry, and tourism, would help the city grow economically through the 20th century.[5] In contemporary Charleston, tourism and other service industries have led the economy.
Colonial period: 1660–1750
Founding and initial growth
Restored to the throne following
The settlement was often subject to attack from sea and from land. Countries such as
A 1680 plan for the new settlement, the Grand Modell, laid out "the model of an exact regular town," and the future for the growing community. Land surrounding the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets was set aside for a Civic Square. Over time, it became known as the Four Corners of the Law, referring to the various arms of governmental and religious law presiding over the square and the growing city.
In late May 1718, Charles Town was besieged by Edward Teach, commonly known as
St. Philips Episcopal Church, Charleston's oldest and most noted church, was built on the southeast corner in 1752. The following year, the capitol of the colony was erected across the square. Because of its prominent position within the city and its elegant architecture, the building signaled to Charleston's citizens and visitors its importance within the British colonies. Provincial court met on the ground floor while the Commons House of Assembly and the Royal Governor's Council Chamber met on the second floor.
By 1750, Charleston had become a bustling trade center, the hub of the Atlantic trade for the southern colonies, and the wealthiest and largest city south of Philadelphia. By 1770, it was the fourth largest port in the colonies, after only Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, with a population of 11,000, slightly more than half of that slaves. Cotton, rice and
On Monday, May 4, 1761, a large tornado temporarily emptied the Ashley River and sank five warships lying offshore.[11]
Ethnic and religious diversity
While the earliest settlers primarily came from England, colonial Charleston was also home to a mixture of ethnic and religious groups. In colonial times,
From the mid-18th century a large amount of
Culture
As Charleston grew, so did the community's cultural and social opportunities, especially for the elite merchants and planters. The first theater building in America, the Dock Street Theatre, was built in Charleston in 1736, but was later replaced by the 19th-century Planter's Hotel where wealthy planters stayed during Charleston's horse-racing season (now the Dock Street Theatre, known as one of the oldest active theaters built for stage performance in the United States).[14] While the activity of the Dock Street Theatre was only temporary, the city was often visited by the Old American Company and several playhouses was founded for their use, until the city was given its first permanent theatre in the famous Charleston Theatre of 1793.
Benevolent societies were formed by several different ethnic groups: the South Carolina Society, founded by French
Slavery
A major establishment of
By the mid-18th century, Charlestown, described as "the Jerusalem of American slavery, its capital and center of faith",
American Revolution: 1775–1783
As the relationship between the colonists and England deteriorated, Charleston became a focal point in the ensuing
It was thrice the target of British attacks. At every stage the British strategy assumed a large base of
On June 28, 1776, General Henry Clinton, with 2000 men and a naval squadron, tried to seize Charleston, hoping for a simultaneous Loyalist uprising in South Carolina. It seemed a cheap way of waging the war, but it failed as the naval force was defeated by the Continental Army, specifically, the 2nd South Carolina Regiment at Fort Sullivan (renamed later to Fort Moultrie)Fort Moultrie under the command of William Moultrie. When the fleet fired cannonballs, the shot failed to penetrate the fort's unfinished, yet thick palmetto log walls. Additionally, no local Loyalists attacked the town from behind as the British had hoped. The Loyalists were too poorly organized to be affected, but as late as 1780, senior officials in London, misled by Loyalist exiles, placed their confidence in their rising.
The
Following the
Clinton returned in 1780 with 14,000 soldiers. American General
Several Americans escaped the carnage and joined up with several
Antebellum: 1783–1861
With the British and Loyalist leaders gone, the city officially changed its name in 1783 to Charleston.
Commerce and expansion
Charleston became more prosperous in the
By 1820, Charleston's population had grown to 23,000, with a black majority. When a massive slave revolt planned by Denmark Vesey, a free black man, was discovered in 1822, such hysteria ensued among white Charlestonians and Carolinians that the activities of free blacks and slaves were severely restricted. Hundreds of blacks, free and slave, and some white supporters involved in the planned uprising were held in the Old Jail. It also was the impetus for the construction of a new State Arsenal in Charleston. Recently, historians have debated the veracity of the accounts that detail the nature of the Vesey affair (See Denmark Vesey entry for description of the debate).
As Charleston's government, society and industry grew, commercial institutions were established to support the community's aspirations. The Bank of South Carolina, the second oldest building constructed as a bank in the nation, was established in 1798. Branches of the First and Second Bank of the United States were also located in Charleston in 1800 and 1817. While the First Bank was converted to City Hall by 1818, the Second Bank proved to be a vital part of the community as it was the only bank in the city equipped to handle the international transactions so crucial to the export trade. By 1840, the Market Hall and Sheds, where fresh meat and produce were brought daily, became the commercial hub of the city. The slave trade also depended on the port of Charleston, where ships could be unloaded and the slaves sold at markets. Contrary to popular belief, slaves were never traded at the Market Hall areas.
Political changes
In the first half of the 19th century, South Carolinians became more devoted to the idea that state's rights were superior to the Federal government's authority. Buildings such as the Marine Hospital ignited controversy over the degree in which the Federal government should be involved in South Carolina's government, society, and commerce. During this period over 90 percent of Federal funding was generated from import duties, collected by custom houses such as the one in Charleston. In 1832, South Carolina passed an ordinance of
Prior to
Civil War: 1861–1865
On December 24, 1860, the
On December 11, 1861, a massive fire burned 164 acres of Charleston, including the Cathedral of St John and St Finbar, South Carolina Institute Hall, the Circular Congregational Church, and many of the city's finest homes.[23] This fire was responsible for much of the destruction visible in Charleston at the end of the war.
On April 14, 1865, thousands travelled to Charleston to watch Brevet Major General Anderson
Postbellum: 1865–1945
Reconstruction
After the defeat of the Confederacy, Federal forces remained in Charleston during the city's reconstruction. The war had shattered the prosperity of the antebellum city. Freed slaves were faced with poverty and discrimination. Industries slowly brought the city and its inhabitants back to a renewed vitality and growth in population. As the city's commerce improved, Charlestonians also worked to restore their community institutions.
1886 earthquake
On August 31, 1886,
Early 20th century to 1945
In the early 20th century strong political machines emerged in the city, reflecting economic, class, racial, and ethnic tensions. Nearly all opposed U.S. Senator Ben Tillman, who repeatedly attacked and ridiculed the city in the name of upstate poor farmers. Well-organized factions within the Democratic Party in Charleston gave the voters clear choices and played a large role in state politics.[25]
The Charleston riot of 1919, of whites against blacks, was the worst violence in Charleston since the Civil War.
The city became a national leader in the historic preservation movement, 1920 to 1940. The city council introduced the nation's first historic district zoning laws in 1931. The immediate grievance was the invasion of antebellum residential neighborhoods by "modernistic" gasoline stations. The regionalism of the time provided a supportive context for Charleston's reaction against glaring manifestations of modernity. Landscape preservationists in Charleston shared ideas with regionalists across the South. They argued that preservation activities in Charleston served as a way of coping with perceived negative aspects of modern urban industrial society, and allow people to take pride, despite their relative poverty compared to rich Yankee cities.[26]
Nostalgia for the historic neighborhoods was suspended briefly during World War II, as the city became one of the nation's most important naval bases. It was overwhelmed by sailors, servicemen, construction workers, and new families. Peak employment of 26,000 was reached in July 1943 at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. High wages rejuvenated the economy, although restrictions on new housing construction led to severe overcrowding. For the first time women and African Americans were recruited on a large scale to work in the Navy Yard and related industries in a full range of jobs, including well-paid skilled positions.[27][28]
Modern-day: 1945–present
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston in 1989, and though the worst damage was in nearby McClellanville, the storm damaged three-quarters of the homes in Charleston's historic district. The hurricane caused over $2.8 billion in damage.
Joe Riley era
Since his election as mayor in 1975, Joe Riley was a major proponent of reviving Charleston's economic and cultural heritage. The last thirty years of the 20th century saw major new reinvestment in the city, with a number of municipal improvements and a commitment to historic preservation. These commitments were not slowed down by Hurricane Hugo and continue to this day. Joe Riley did not run for reelection in 2016.
The downtown medical district is experiencing rapid growth of biotechnology and medical research industries coupled with substantial expansions of all the major hospitals. Additionally, more expansions are planned or underway at several other major hospitals located in other portions of the city and the metropolitan area: Bon Secours-St Francis Xavier Hospital,[29] Trident Medical Center,[30] and East Cooper Regional Medical Center.[31]
Charleston church shooting
A mass shooting took place at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston on the evening of June 17, 2015.[32] The senior pastor, the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, a state senator, was among the nine people killed.[33] The shooter, a white male named Dylann Roof, was captured the morning after the attack in Shelby, North Carolina, tried, and sentenced to death, later changed to life imprisonment.[34][35][36] The shooting was investigated as a hate crime by local and federal officials.[37]
African-American history
Slavery To Civil Rights: A Walking Tour of African-American Charleston (2018)[38][39] includes the following sites:
- 1919 Race Riot: Five African-Americans murdered in downtown Charleston
- Avery School, prominent African-American school
- Dr. Lucy Hughes Brown (1863–1911), first African-American woman physician in South Carolina, also first woman physician on Charleston
- Mutual aid society
- Cigar workers strike: First use of We Shall Overcome song
- Denmark Vesey Slave Revolt, 1822
- Edwin Harleston (1882–1931), painter, co-founder of Charleston NAACP chapter
- Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1816
- Freedman's Savings Bank and Trust Company
- Jehu Jones Hotel: Jones was a Lutheran minister who had been born a slave
- PFC Ralph H. Johnson (1949–1968): posthumously awarded Medal of Honor
- Ernest Everett Just (1883–1941), cell biologist
- Gadsden's Wharf: Site where approximately 30,000 captive Africans imported to the US
- Kress Lunch Counter Sit-in, 1960
- Louis Gregory(1874–1951), civil rights pioneer and teacher of Bahá'í faith
- Grimké Sisters: Childhood home of Sarah Moore Grimké (1792–1873) and Angelina Emily Grimké (1805–1879), abolitionists
- Jenkin's Band: Trained generations of black musicians
- Philip Simmons (1912–2009): Artisan in ironwork
- Porgy & Bess, "folk opera", as Gershwin called it, set in Charleston
- Robert Smalls (1839–1915): Escaped slavery by stealing a Confederate ship; Congressman
- Ryan's Slave Mart: Slave auction site (see Old Slave Mart)
- Civil Rights Movement
See also
- American urban history
- Charleston in the American Civil War
- Charleston, South Carolina – main article
- History of the Jews in Charleston, South Carolina
- List of newspapers in South Carolina: Charleston
- Mississippian shatter zone
- Timeline of Charleston, South Carolina
References
- ^ "Charleston - Atlantic History - Oxford Bibliographies - obo". OxfordBibliographies.com. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ISBN 9780226300207. Retrieved September 30, 2017 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 9781620973653.
- ^ A Historic Overview of Charleston, SC. charlestoncvb.com. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ A Brief History Of Charleston | Palmetto Carriage Works. palmettocarriage.com. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Chalmers Street," Charleston County Public Library. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
- ^ D. Moore. (1997) "A General History of Blackbeard the Pirate, the Queen Anne's Revenge and the Adventure". In Tributaries, Volume VII, 1997. pp. 31–35. (North Carolina Maritime History Council)
- ^ Owen, Jarus (January 26, 2015). "Blackbeard's Booty: Pirate Ship Yields Medical Supplies". livescience.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ "South Carolina Rice Plantations". Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ^ "Geechee and Gullah Culture". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ Lane, F.W. The Elements Rage (David & Charles 1966), p. 49
- Greek Orthodox. The Charlestonian Greek community has its origins in immigration from Greece to the area to find work in local industry. Charleston has an annual Greek Festival hosted by this community. 2007.
- NPR.org, March 25, 2002. Retrieved June 11, 2007.
- ^ Mould, David R., and Missy Loewe. Historic Gravestone Art of Charleston, South Carolina, 1695–1802. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2006., p251)
- ISBN 978-0-89879-772-5.
- ISBN 0-300-10193-7, pg. 299
- ^ Wood, Origins of American Slavery (1997), pp. 64–65.
- ISBN 9780374534455.
- ISBN 978-1-57003-255-4.
- ^ Lumpkin, Henry (1987), "Prevost's Siege of Charleston", From Savannah to Yorktown: The American Revolution in the South, Lincoln: toExcel
- ISBN 978-1-139-49914-9.
- ^ Donald F. Johnson, "The Failure of Restored British Rule in Revolutionary Charleston, South Carolina." Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (2014) 42#1 pp: 22–40.
- ^ Hicks, Brian. "Charleston at War: Charleston beaten down by Great Fire". PostAndCourier.com. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ "H. L. Hunley, Confederate Submarine," Archived 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
- ^ Doyle W. Boggs, "Charleston Politics, 1900-1930: An Overview," Proceedings of the South Carolina Historical Association 49 (1979) 1-13.
- ^ Robin Elisabeth Datel, "Southern regionalism and historic preservation in Charleston, South Carolina, 1920-1940." Journal of Historical Geography 16.2 (1990): 197-215.
- ^ Fritz P. Hamer, Charleston Reborn: A Southern City, Its Navy Yard, and World War II (The History Press, 2005).
- ^ Fritz Hamer, "Giving a Sense of Achievement: Changing Gender and Racial Roles in Wartime Charleston: 1942-1945." Proceedings of the South Carolina Historical Association: 1997 (1997) online.
- ^ "Bon Secours-St Francis Xavier Hospital". CareAlliance.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ "Home - Trident Health System". www.TridentHealthSystem.com. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ RC. "East Cooper Medical Center Home Page - Mount Pleasant, SC". www.EastCooperMedCtr.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ Kaplan, Sarah (June 18, 2015). "For Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, shooting is another painful chapter in rich history". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ Payne, Ed (June 18, 2015). "Charleston church shooting: Multiple fatalities in South Carolina, source says". CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ "Charleston church shooting suspect Dylann Roof in custody in NC". WIS. WorldNow and WISTV. June 18, 2015. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
- ^ "Dylann Roof Sentenced To Death". NPR.org. January 10, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ Zapotosky, Matt (January 4, 2017). "Charleston church shooter: 'I would like to make it crystal clear, I do not regret what I did'". Retrieved September 30, 2017 – via www.WashingtonPost.com.
- ^ Bever, Lindsey; Costa, Robert (June 17, 2015). "9 dead in shooting at historic Charleston African American church. Police chief calls it 'hate crime.'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ISBN 978-1732653405.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ "Upcoming lecture for "Slavery to Civil Rights: A Walking Tour of African-American Charleston"". Moultrie News. January 24, 2019.
Further reading
- Simkins, Francis Butler, and Robert Henley Woody. South Carolina During Reconstruction (1932)
- Bridenbaugh, Carl. Cities in the Wilderness-The First Century of Urban Life in America 1625–1742 (1938) online edition
- Fitchett, E. Horace. "The traditions of the free Negro in Charleston, South Carolina." Journal of Negro History (1940): 139–152. in JSTOR
- Bridenbaugh, Carl. Cities in Revolt: Urban Life in America, 1743–1776 (1955)
- White, Laura Amanda. Robert Barnwell Rhett: Father of Secession (1965)
- Burton, E. Milby. The Siege of Charleston, 1861–1865 (University of South Carolina Press, 1970)
- Sellers, Leila. Charleston Business on the Eve of the American Revolution (Arno Press, 1970)
- Jaher, Frederic. The Urban Establishment: Upper Strata in Boston, New York, Charleston, Chicago, and Los Angeles (1982)
- Pease, William Henry, and Jane H. Pease. The web of progress: private values and public styles in Boston and Charleston, 1828–1843 (1985)
- Datel, Robin Elisabeth. "Southern regionalism and historic preservation in Charleston, South Carolina, 1920–1940." Journal of Historical Geography (1990) 16#2 pp: 197–215.
- Pease, Jane H. and William Henry Pease. Ladies, Women, and Wenches: Choice and Constraint in Antebellum Charleston and Boston (Haworth Press, 1990)
- Fraser, Walter J. Charleston! Charleston!: The History of a Southern City (1991) excerpt
- Nash, R. C. "Urbanization in the Colonial South Charleston, South Carolina, as a Case Study." Journal of Urban History 19.1 (1992): 3–29.
- Powers Jr., Bernard E. Black Charlestonians (1994), covers 1822-1885
- Hamer, Fritz. "Giving a Sense of Achievement: Changing Gender and Racial Roles in Wartime Charleston: 1942-1945." Proceedings of the South Carolina Historical Association: 1997 (1997) online.
- Rosen, Robert N. A Short History of Charleston (1997), Popular history
- Hamer, Fritz P. Charleston Reborn: A Southern City, Its Navy Yard, and World War II (The History Press, 2005).
- Bostick, Douglas W. The Union is Dissolved!: Charleston and Fort Sumter in the Civil War (The History Press, 2009)
- Hart, Emma. Building Charleston: Town and Society in the Eighteenth Century British Atlantic World (University of Virginia Press 2010, University of South Carolina Press, 2015)
- Macaulay, Alexander. Marching in Step: Masculinity, Citizenship & the Citadel in Post-World War II America (2011)
- Gestler, Diana Hollingsworth. Very Charleston: A Celebration of History, Culture, and Lowcountry Charm (2013)
- Johnson, Donald F. "The Failure of Restored British Rule in Revolutionary Charleston, South Carolina." Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (2014) 42#1 pp: 22–40.
- Estes, Steve. Charleston in Black and White: Race and Power in the South after the Civil Rights Movement (University of North Carolina Press, 2015). 222 pp.
- Kytle, Ethan J.; Roberts, Blain (2018). Denmark Vesey's Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy. ISBN 978-1620973653.
- Cooley, Alec; Miller, Ruth (November 1, 2018). Slavery To Civil Rights: A Walking Tour of African-American Charleston Paperback. Charleston, S.C. ISBN 978-1732653405.)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link