Product Description: A comprehensive history which chronicles 475 years of recorded history in the Palmetto state. In readable presentation, Edgar uses letters, diaries, and other writings to let voices from the past take part in telling the state's fascinating story.
wonderfully comprehensive and readable I checked this book out for research and now I'm thinking I need to have my own copy. Such wonderful detail on so many different topics! Aside from the Civil War, Americans don't know much about SC, and yet South Carolina has played a pivotal role in American history. I love the way the book covers all groups--it's been difficult to find good material on ethnic groups in the early colonial period, for example. Of course 700 pages won't cover every detail of history for this fascinating state, but Edgar does a great job providing a variety of perspectives. Excellent reading.
Excellent summary of centuries of a fascinating state This book is the first I've read on a history of the state and I was shocked, shocked to learn how during Reconstruction with the Republicans running the state government blacks were given the vote, elected to state offices, and began their educational progress. Then the Democrat party got power and destroyed everything that the GOP had done while enacting all the Jim Crow laws which remained for decades. How after reading this book, assuming it's true, any African American can ever vote for a Democrat, I'll never know! The shenanigans of the Democrat politicians were amazing: taking a vote and then ignoring the results. Particularly well described in this history are the economic changes in SC over the years including: farming of indigo, cotton, tobacco, rice, peaches to manufacturing and tourism. I plan to buy this for some of my newly-arrived SC friends.
Most controversial state in the Union!?! Overall this was an excellent book on what is most likely the most controversial state in the Union...Since the first landing in St. Helena Parish, through the Colonial period and the Civil War era to the flag controversy in the late 1990's, South Carolinians have been different, in almost every way, then the rest of the country. While NC's motto may be 'first in flight', South Carolina's could very well be 'first to fight'. Their instigation of the Revolutionary war and the Civil war, not to mention dozens of other controversial actions on the part of some of our ancestral fire-eaters make this book not just a history every SC-olian should read but one that every American should read as well. Like it or not, SC has played an extremely vital role in the path our country has taken and the culture we have developed. This book attempts to cover this role... While some of the book may bog down, the majority of the chapters are very well researched, flow smoothly, and are extremely interesting. You will find such topics as Colonial life in SC, Antebellum life in SC, SC-olinans in the Revolutionary War, SC-olina's role in starting the Civil War, how SC bucked reconstruction, etc...Overall, if you are a fan of good history then you will enjoy this book. If you are looking for action then try a couple books about SC's role in the fighting of the Civil War...'Kershaw's brigade' and 'the Stuck eagle: South Carolina Infantry in the Civil War'. Enjoy...
A Much Needed Book That Falls Short I'm glad to see this book -- one of the few comprehensive histories of SC in decades. It is a clear, easy to read history. However, I was disappointed. Edgar is often too brief with his subject. One example is the Mill Villages. He mentions them, but fails to go into depth, especially in their changes with the decline of the textile industry. He does fairly well with the discussion of the growth of the Republican party, but makes no mention of the Governor's race in the 1970's in which Dorn lost to Edwards. Caused primarily because of the unconstitutional race of Charles "Pug" Ravenel, Dorn's loss to Edwards quickened the rise of the Republican party in SC. All in all an adequate book that will serve until something better is written.
A must read for any South Carolina resident As a resident of SC for nearly twenty-five years, I was delighted to find a readable, comprehensive history of our state! Dr. Edgar does a wonderful job of inter-weaving the various aspects of SC history into a fine tapestry; he relates economic conditions to religious culture to the political climate to family life to economic conditions... Of special interest to me were the chapters dealing with the political and economic development (or lack thereof) during the years immediately following the Civil War through the turn of the twentieth century. (In fact, this time period would make a great movie!) Kudos to Dr. Edgar for a worthwhile 700+ pages of my time!
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