South Carolina

South Carolina entered the Union as the eighth state on May 23, 1788. Located in the southeastern United States, it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Georgia , and North Carolina.

Several Native American groups inhabited the region, including the Iroquois, Sioux, and Muskogee. Spanish sea captains explored the coast in the early 1500s, but it was the English who established the region's first permanent European settlement, in 1670. Settlers cultivated rice in the swampy coastal areas, and the colony flourished.

South Carolina's wealthy plantation owners profited by using slave labor. More than half the state's population between the American Revolution (1775–83) and the Civil War (1861–65) were slaves. Once the South lost the Civil War, the slaves were freed and granted the rights to vote and hold political office during Reconstruction (the time of rebuilding in the South).

South Carolina was a state in turmoil from the 1880s to the 1890s. Residents suffered from economic recession, political corruption, social unrest, and crop failures. Rice and cotton farming were replaced by tobacco and soybean cultivation, and it was difficult for large farms to thrive without the use of slave labor. As freed slaves migrated to urban areas around 1900 and found work in textile mills, textiles became the state's leading industry.

The state's total population in 2006 was just over 4.3 million; 67.4 percent were white, 28.5 percent were African American, and 3.3 percent were Hispanic or Latino. That same year, 19.3 percent of the labor force worked in trade, transportation, or public utilities; 17.5 percent were employed by the government; and another 13.7 percent held manufacturing jobs. Greenville was the most heavily populated city, with 417,166 residents.

About 75 percent of the millions of tourists who travel throughout South Carolina are out-of-state residents. Popular attractions include Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island resorts. Golf generates more income than any other single entertainment or recreational activity, but tourists also appreciate the forty-six state parks.