FEB. 25, 2011 — Dr. Jack Bass, historian and retired professor from the College of Charleston, was our speaker. The author of 8 books, including a recent history of South Carolina, “The Palmetto State”, spoke about the history of the economy of the state.
South Carolina began as a part of the Lords Proprietary Land Grant from King Charles II, a huge area of land ranging from Virginia to Florida and as far West as was known. Slavery was considered acceptable noting that slaves were being given religious freedom; such freedom was also extended to Quakers , Jews, and all who believed in God were welcome.
Rice became the first staple of the economy in that the African slaves were totally familiar with its planting, growing and harvesting. Slavery was also made acceptable in a compromise draft of the US Constitution of 1788, which stated that slaves could only be imported for another 20 years. In 1793 the cotton gin was perfected creating a re-birth in the need for labor with the import of more slaves. The cotton gin enabled the processing of short length cotton, which could be grown in new areas, thus cotton became king and slavery flourished. South Carolina was the only state in which the majority of whites owned at least one slave. Freeman [former black slaves] existed in the culture and many of them also owned slaves. By the beginning of the 19th century cotton had worn out the land and there was an exodus of slave labor to Alabama where new planting areas could be found. The Slave Market Museum in Charleston does an excellent job presenting this story.
The state was controlled by large plantation owners even though many of them represented very few citizens. People from Pennsylvania migrated to Chester, Chesterfield and Lancaster counties, bringing along the names of their former towns. The plantation class clearly dominated state government and created a society which embraced slavery and thought that they were enhancing the lives of the slaves.
Slavery was destined to end with the signing of the Ordnance of Secession by 160 South Carolina citizens. The Civil war followed and with the loss of the slave labor, the rice growing industry ended forever. Cotton, which could profitably be grown on small plots, took over until it was destroyed by the emergence of the boll weevil and the state fell into depression until WWII.
South Carolina had enough political influence to mobilize the navy activity in Charleston with the addition of 30,000 jobs. After the war the returning military took advantage of the GI Bill. Graduates took on a broader view and many moved throughout the nation. The textile industry began to flourish in the up country creating a new boom after the loss of rice and cotton. This industry finally lost its ability to compete in the 1980’s. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 both had profound social changes. Governor Fritz Hollings brought the concept of technical education to the state with the cooperation of the legislature. The state paid to train workers, such training which contributed to the arrival of BMW and Boeing in the years to come. In his final speech to the legislature, Governor Hollings stated: “the state must deal with integration as we have run out of time; we must adjust and apply the rule of law for the good of the state and the nation.” [At the same time Gov. Wallace was baring the school doors in nearby Alabama]. With the passage of the Civil Rights act Hollings turned to Europe to bring jobs to South Carolina. Michelin brought in the first of six plants and now South Carolina leads the world in tire production.
Subsequent governors raised taxes as needed [at that time raising taxes was not considered a dirty word] to improve the educational system, including passage of the lottery which increased the number of college graduates from 48% to 68%.
Today Boeing is the culmination of the work of the past, but The Port of Charleston still remains the key element to a successful economy in the state. The BMW plant was built on land owned by the port and leased to the company for 50 years. Similarly Boeing was built on leased ground, but after four years Boeing is paying taxes into the local school system.
In response to a question Dr. Bass noted that wages for blacks have increased from being at 42% of white salary in 1980 to 50% today. He predicts that it will take until 2050 for the salaries to become equal.
— Reported by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee