SOUTH CAROLINA - The Palmetto State holds a rich and complex history as one of the original thirteen colonies. Before it became a key player in the American Revolution and a U.S. state, its identity was forged from a vast colonial territory that eventually split into two.
From One Carolina to Two: What South Carolina Was Called Before Statehood
Understanding what South Carolina was called initially involves looking back at its origins as part of a single, immense, proprietary province.
The Province of Carolina: A Unified Beginning (1663)
The story begins not with South Carolina but with "Carolina." In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a charter for a vast territory south of Virginia to eight loyal supporters known as the Lords Proprietors. This entire region was named the Province of Carolina. This single proprietary colony encompassed the land that would eventually become both North Carolina and South Carolina.
A Practical Division:
From the early days of settlement, the Province of Carolina began to develop two distinct centers of population and governance:
- The northern settlement, around the Albemarle Sound.
- The southern settlement, centered on Charles Town (modern Charleston), was founded in 1670.
Due to the vast distance and geographical barriers between these two areas, they were often administered by separate deputy governors, resulting in a de facto division that predated a formal one.
The Split and Royal Rule: The Province of South Carolina (1719/1729)
Growing discontent with the proprietary government, particularly in the more prosperous southern settlement, led to a pivotal change.
- Revolution of 1719: Colonists in Charles Town, frustrated with the Proprietors' inability to provide adequate defense against Spanish and Native American threats, staged a rebellion. They overthrew the proprietary governor and appealed to the British Crown to take direct control of the colony.
- Becoming a Royal Colony: The King agreed, and in 1719, a royal governor was appointed for South Carolina, effectively ending proprietary rule in that region and marking its beginning as a separate royal colony.
- Formal Division (1729): The separation was legally finalized around 1729 when the Crown officially bought out the claims of most of the Lord's Proprietors. At this point, the territory was formally and permanently divided into the Province of North Carolina and the Province of South Carolina.
From Province to State:
From roughly 1719 until the American Revolution, the region was known as the Province of South Carolina. Following the Declaration of Independence, South Carolina transitioned into a state, playing a significant role in the war and becoming the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1788.
Before it became the state we know today, South Carolina's identity underwent significant evolution. It began as the southern part of the larger Province of Carolina. After 1719, it effectively became its entity. By 1729, it was formally and officially known as the Province of South Carolina, the name it held as a British royal colony until it joined the newly formed United States.
