South Carolina was the eighth state to ratify the Constitution. As with other of the 13 Colonies, the land was originally inhabited by Native Americans. The main tribes living in the area were the Kiawah, Cherokee, the Catawbas, the Creek, and the Yamasee. They grew corn and beans.

The colony expanded during the next several years and included much of what is now North Carolina as well. (It was named after the British king, Charles.) In 1710, a royal decree divided the colony into two, North and South. French settlers lived in the South as well.

Many workers on the land in South Carolina were indentured servants, who signed contracts to work for a number of years and were then granted their freedom. The arrival of slaves (who had no such contract) speeded up an already thriving plantation economy producing rice and indigo. Other crops included corn, cotton, and tobacco. So many were the African slaves who arrived in South Carolina that by 1720, they formed the majority of the population. Another economic factor during the early days of the colony was that Charleston and points south became trading centers, of both commerce and culture, while northern areas, which were more rural, became farming centers. It was these farmers and small-time traders who pushed the Native Americans further west.
Founded: 1663 by English colonist
Major Industry: Growing rice turned swamps into productive land, and by 1696 rents could be paid with rice. Plantation agriculture (indigo, rice, tobacco, cotton, cattle)
Major Cities: Charleston
Colony Named for: from Carolus, the Latin word for "Charles," Charles I of England
Became a State: May 23, 1788