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CHARLESTON, South Carolina in the 1860s: 1 through 10 of 26

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  1. Black Codes and Racism in South Carolina Prevent Migration to the State by Northerners
    date December 8, 1865map CHARLESTON, South Carolina, NEW YORK, New Yorktags Migration, Politics, Race-Relations, Black Codes, South Carolina, Reconstruction

    At the close of the Civil War, wealthy northerners were interested in acquiring new farmland to develop. To do so, they needed to relocate to areas that were less populated than the North. Despite their admiration for South Carolina’s “lands and climate,” northerners feared living in the state, because of the potential violence. During this time, South Carolina began enacting black codes to restrict...

  2. Teaching in the Unknown
    date May 15, 1865 to 1867map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Women, Teaching, Reconstruction, Freedmen's Bureau

    Emily Bliss and Mary Ames had never taught before, and they were about to venture into the heart of the Reconstruction south and teach the newly freed slave children. They were two women from the North with no teaching experience at all. Intrigued by Emily Bliss, Ames decided to follow her to Boston and enroll as teacher to work for the Freedmen's Bureau in 1865. They were not supported by their families...

  3. The South's Exciting First Victory
    date April 17, 1861map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Civil War, Confederacy

    The newspaper article "Glory Enough for One Day" was written on April 17, 1861. The article describes how the Union surrendered Fort Sumter to the Confederate Army on April 13, 1861. The article starts out by talking about the telegram that announced to the south that Fort Sumter had been surrendered to the Confederate States, and how it "sent a thrill of joy to the heart of every true friend of the...

  4. Regulating Freedpeople’s Marriages in South Carolina
    date 1866 to 1870map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags African-Americans, Law, Government Laws, Politics

    In hopes of assimilating ex-slaves into life as freedmen, the Freedmen’s Bureau worked to legalize marriages and establish standards for the marriages of freedmen.  Such Marriage Rules were observed in South Carolina in 1866, when such matters were under the jurisdiction of the Freedmen’s Bureau.  The Marriage Rules, contained six sections that, outlined “the parties eligible for marriage,...

  5. Reconstructing the Constitution in South Carolina
    date January 14, 1868 to March 17, 1868map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags African-Americans, Education, Government, Law, Politics, Race-Relations, Slavery, War

    The Civil War was over, but the fight to ensure that it was not fought in vain was just beginning. After the Civil War, the North wanted to ensure the abolition of slavery, recognition of the rights of African Americans, and that the South would remain a part of the nation; these were the major goals of the Reconstruction policies. To meet these goals, The North required all former Confederate...

  6. Enslaving the Free: The Development of Southern Sharecropping
    date 1865map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags African-Americans, Agriculture, Economy, Race-Relations, Slavery

    "We are going to work for ourselves and for nobody else." The newly-freed slaves of Thomas Pinckney took this stand when he called them to start working again after the Civil War ended. Pinckney, a plantation owner in South Carolina, did not expect these men to continue working for free, but he realized that without them, his plantation was destined for failure. He stated simply, "I acknowledged...

  7. Writing for the South: William Gilmore Simms and Southern Intellectualism
    date May 1, 1867map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Arts/Leisure, Education

    In 1867, Charles Warren Stoddard sent the well-known author William Gilmore Simms a sample of poetry that he, a hopeful young author, had written. On May 1, 1867, Simms replied, congratulating Stoddard on the quality of his poetry and discussing his desire to help young authors whom he felt merited encouragement. These letters began a correspondence between the young author and his mentor that would...

  8. America's Need for a Second Transcontinental Railway
    date May 18, 1869map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Economy, Migration/Transportation, Politics, Science/Technology

    On Tuesday, May 18, 1869 an editorial appeared in the Charleston Courier titled "The Pacific Railway and a Southern Route" in which the author made the argument that the nation needed a southern transcontinental rail route. The first Transcontinental Railway had only been completed a few days earlier but already there were calls from southerners for a route that was more suited to their needs. A southern...

  9. Fire and Steel: Weaponry of the Confederacy
    date 1863map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Science/Technology, War

    Cannons and rifles perform a cacophony of blood and thunder as the cold steel of bayonets slice through the enemy line. Deadly technology meets close quarters fighting and Napoleonic tactics, and the result is not pretty. These deadly weapons are listed in detail in Col. J. Gorgas' The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the Confederate States Army. In this book are the specific types,...

  10. Dawn of the Attack Submarine
    date February 17, 1864map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Science/Technology, War

    While many people know that the American Civil War revolutionized naval warfare with the introduction of the ironclad warship, few realize that another, equally important, seaborne weapon was introduced in that conflict: the submarine. The first sub was developed by the Confederacy in the later years of the War in an effort to counteract the Union blockade, with Charleston Harbor being used as the...

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