The Palmetto State: The Making of Modern South Carolina

by Jack Bass, W. Scott Poole

Overview

A concise approach to the major themes and events that define contemporary South Carolina

The captivating, colorful, and controversial history of South Carolina continues to warrant fresh explorations. In this sweeping story of defining episodes in the state's history, accomplished historians Jack Bass and W. Scott Poole trace the importance of race relations, historical memory, and cultural life in the progress of the Palmetto State from its colonial inception to the present day.

In the discussion of contemporary South Carolina that makes up the majority of this volume, the authors map the ways through which hard-won economic and civil rights advancements, a succession of progressive state leaders, and federal court mandates operated in tandem to bring a largely peaceful end to the Jim Crow era in South Carolina, in stark contrast to the violence wrought elsewhere in the South. This volume speaks directly to the connections between the state's past, present, and future, and it serves as a valuable point of entrance for new inquiries into South Carolina's diverse and complex heritage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611171389
Publisher:	University of South Carolina Press
Publication date:	09/26/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	1,050,693
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jack Bass is a professor emeritus of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston. He is the author or coauthor of seven other books about the American South.

Editorial Reviews

Bold, diverse, succinct, informative, and relevant are fitting adjectives to describe the strengths of this significant book.... Bass and Poole's most significant contribution is demonstrating how the state's past shapes both its present and future.

South Carolina Historical Magazine

There have been many histories of our state, but I've never seen one that seems quite as thorough, concise, and fair-minded as The Palmetto State. The authors cover it all: politics; the role of religion; popular culture, including jazz and the shag; the growth of our educational system; and the factors behind the dynamic economic development from agriculture to industry and tourism.

Hilton Head (S.C.) Island Packet

A volume such as The Palmetto State is long overdue. It is a lively read, full of interesting facts.

Charleston (S.C.) Post & Courier

The authors have written a book that will be of special interest to both the native-born and the recently arrived. It is carefully researched, frequently anecdotal, and an easy read.

Choice

Bold, diverse, succinct, informative, and relevant are fitting adjectives to describe the strengths of this significant book.... Bass and Poole's most significant contribution is demonstrating how the state's past shapes both its present and future.

-- "South Carolina Historical Magazine"

There have been many histories of our state, but I've never seen one that seems quite as thorough, concise, and fair-minded as The Palmetto State. The authors cover it all: politics; the role of religion; popular culture, including jazz and the shag; the growth of our educational system; and the factors behind the dynamic economic development from agriculture to industry and tourism.

-- "Hilton Head (S.C.) Island Packet"

A volume such as The Palmetto State is long overdue. It is a lively read, full of interesting facts.

-- "Charleston (S.C.) Post & Courier"

A volume such as The Palmetto State is long overdue. It is a lively read, full of interesting facts.

-- "Charleston (S.C.) Post & Courier"

The authors have written a book that will be of special interest to both the native-born and the recently arrived. It is carefully researched, frequently anecdotal, and an easy read.

-- "Choice"

From the Publisher

Archaeologists tell us that the region was first inhabited as early as 13,000 BCE, but for most historians, the place that we call South Carolina began its slow drift toward modernity with the settling of Charles Towne in 1670. Since then, the residents of the Palmetto State have wrestled with problems in nearly every political, economic, and social arena. In this book, coauthors Jack Bass and W. Scott Poole approach the development of the state through the prisms of three constantly recurring themes: race and class relations; historical memory; and cultural life. Much of the book is devoted to discussion of South Carolina's significant transformation in recent times.