South Carolina (America the Beautiful, Second) [Library Binding]

R. Conrad Stein (Author)

Book Description

Series: America the Beautiful, Second | Publication Date: September 1999

Describes the geography, plants and animals, history, economy, language, religions, culture, sports and arts, and people of the state of South Carolina.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 144 pages
• Publisher: Children's Press (CT) (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0516209973
• ISBN-13: 978-0516209975
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,378,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The reconstruction of the state of South Carolina, March 20, 2005

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: South Carolina (America the Beautiful, Second) (Library Binding)

There is a scene in the uncut edition of the movie version of the musical "1776" where the character of Edmund Rutledge from South Carolina explains to John Adams that his colony is interested in independence--For South Carolina. It was Rutledge of South Carolina that pushed for the clause condemning the slave trade to be dropped from the Declaration of Independence, John C. Calhoun of South Carolina who propagated the doctrine of nullification, and it was South Carolina that was the first state to secede from the Union and the place where the Civil War started when Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. So the story of South Carolina is the story of a state that often did not always want to be a state, which makes it rather unique.

It is not without irony that in "A State of Change," Chapter One of this look at "South Carolina" for the American the Beautiful, Second Series, that R. Conrad Stein focuses on Strom Thurmond, the late senior U.S. Senator from S.C. who was the longest-standing senator in history, as a symbol of that change (even more so today, when we know that Thurmond, who once ran for president as a segregationist, secretly fathered a child with an African-American woman). The history of South Carolina is detailed in the next three chapters, beginning with Chapter Two, "A Colony Carved from the Wilderness," which begins with the "contact period" when the Cherokee first encountered Europeans and ends with South Carolina becoming the eighth state. Chapter Three, "A House Divided" focuses on the primarily on the Civil War but also recovers reconstruction, while Chapter Four, "Twentieth-Century South Carolina," traces the change from a backward, mostly rural state, to a new economy following the Civil Rights revolution. Throughout this volume, Stein's emphasis is on reconstructing the state's image as the place that sparked the Civil War.

Chapter Five explores South Carolina as "A Land of Contrasts," including the topographical changes from the Atlantic coastal plain, to the lowcoutnry, to the upcountry. "Life around the State" is explored in Chapter Six, which focuses on each area. Chapter Seven, "Palmetto State Government," covers the politics of South Carolina, which is where young readers get to find out about such state symbols as the state tree (the palmetto, of course) and the state hospitality beverage (tea, which it is the only stage to produce for business). "An Expanding Economy" is the subject of Chapter Eight, focusing on manufacturing, agriculture, and other industries. Chapter Nine, "Upcountry and Lowcountry Culture," looks at population trends in the state along with education. Finally, Chapter Ten, "Arts, Sports, Fairs, and Fun," looks at movies shot in the state (e.g., "The Abyss," "Forrest Gump") and sports stars like Shoeless Joe Jackson and Althea Gibson.

The back of the book includes a Timeline comparing U.S. and S.C. state history and several pages of Fast Facts with lots of key statistics. Like all of the volumes in this informative series, Stein's look at "South Carolina" has plenty of full-color photos, orignal maps, and a whole bunch of sidebars. These sidebars are where young readers get to find out about the buccaneer Anne Bonney, the "Swamp Fox," Battery Wagner, Jesse Jackson, and the Hilton Head Vacationland. The recipe for this volume is for Shrimp Perlou, the main rice dish of South Carolina, and the most famous (you can substitute sausage, chicken, or any other meat, so do not feel compelled to go with shrimp).