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History of South Carolina: A Narrative of Higher Education

Jessica Lauren Gore

Georgia Southern University

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Introduction

As one of the original 13 colonies, South Carolina has quite a lengthy history.  From the

establishment of Charleston to present day, South Carolina has seen the birth of the United

States, a nation divided and in turmoil, two World Wars and the equality of rights for African

Americans, minorities and women.  Throughout this extensive history, higher education has

played a major role in the growth and development of South Carolina.  The following is a brief

look into how higher education has affected and influenced the state from the beginning to

present day.

Colonial

Upon the establishment of the colonies by England, the colonist focused their attention on

the education of the next generation.  In order to accomplish their goal, the first free school was

founded in Charleston in order to educate the youth on grammar and other arts, the sciences and

the principles of Christianity (Meriwether & McCrady, 1920).  As the state set out to have free

schools in all of the parishes, plans were made to establish an institution of higher education. 

Rev. Thomas Morrit made the proposals for this institution in 1723; however, funding was not

yet available (Meriwether & McCrady, 1920).

Several years later, in 1769, a bill was drawn providing for the establishment of a college

to be named the College of South Carolina, but nothing came of it due to conflict with England. 

In June of the following year, the College of Charleston was founded as a result of a meeting to

consider the propriety of "petitioning the Assembly for the establishment of a college in or near

Charleston" (Meriwether & McCrady, 1920. p 52)

After victory in the Revolutionary War, the first Congress of the New United States

created the Bill of Rights for its citizen; but the founding founders did not provide any

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information on education and its role in the federal government. Instead, they left this

responsibility to the states. In response, the South Carolina Legislature granted charters and

passed an act for building and establishing three colleges to be located in Charleston,

Winnsborough and Cambridge (Meriwether & McCrady, 1920). Although only one of these

institutions remains, it was important to the leaders of the state to prove that students did not

have to travel to England or to the north to obtain a credible education. In addition, the

University of South Carolina was establish to promote "the good order and harmony" of the state

(University of SC).

Religion and Education

As a Protestant nation, many denominations felt the need to establish institutions of

higher education to help education their clergy and in South Carolina, there was no shortage of

this idea. In fact, a domino effect occurred: as one religiously affiliated institution was created,

another would appear shortly after of a different denomination. Furman University became the

first institution in 1826 and was associated with the Baptist Convention. Shortly after, the

Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary was established in 1830, followed by Erskine

Theological Seminary in 1837, Wofford in 1854 and Newberry in 1856. Due to the Dartmouth

College Case in 1819, these institutions could continue to be funded by their religiously affiliated

organizations and as long as they remained private.

In addition to establishing seminaries and colleges, many of these intuitions associated

themselves with academies. By associating with these colleges, the next generation of South

Carolinians was receiving a Christian education as well as keeping Southern colleges in business.

No longer did families need to send their young students to Europe and the North, they could

study and earn an academically challenging and religious education in their home state.

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Women’s Education

The development of institutions devoted to educating women in South Carolina can be

created to the work of various denominations of religion, specifically that of the Baptist State

Convention (Meriwether & McCrady, 1920). Following the admittance of women to Oberlin

College in 1833 and the founding of the nation’s first all female college, Wesleyan Female

College in 1836, Limestone College became the first women’s college established in South

Carolina (Meriwether & McCrady, 1920). Following Limestone College, Greenville Baptist

Female College was opened in 1854, followed by Columbia College in 1854. And later, The

Walhalla Female College was established in 1872, followed by The Williamston Female College

(Lander College) in the same year, Adger College in 1877, The Anderson Female Seminary in

1879 and Presbyterian College in 1880 and Winthrop Training School (Winthrop University) in

1886. The opportunity for women to attend institutions of higher education was a large step

towards equality for women, even if the education they received was not as academically

challenging as that of the opposite sex. In time, women would surpass and out number men as

students of higher education and those earning degrees.

Civil War

South Carolina experienced substantial growth in education leading up to the Civil War.

Not only did this growth include state, religious and women’s colleges, but it also included the

establishment of military colleges. In 1842, The Arsenal was established in Columbia along with

the Citadel in Charleston. These two military academies were mirrored after the United States

Military Academy and provided its students with a practical education combining academic

studies with military training (Citadel). When South Carolina seceded from the Union on

December 20, 1860, these two academies became central in training many of the Confederate

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soldiers.

As with the Arsenal and Citadel, many of the colleges in South Carolina were forced to

close during the Civil War due to a lack of students. The Civil War placed education on hold in

the South, as many institutions were forced to close due to low enrollment numbers. With

destruction across the state, many institutions remained closed indefinitely, such as the Arsenal,

while others delayed their openings during reconstruction. Although the Civil War essentially

froze educational progress, South Carolina would recover gradually and continue to advance.

Land Grants

Thanks to Thomas Green Clemson generosity in correlation with the Morrill Act of 1862

and the Hatch Act of 1887, Clemson Agricultural College was established as a Land-Grant

college (Clemson, 2013). The institution served the agricultural education and research needs of

the state, as well as provided military training to young men.

With the freedom of slaves in the south came plans to educate them. South Carolina

State University was founded in 1896 through the passing of the second The Morrill Act. With

subsidies from the government, South Carolina State was able to provide agricultural and

mechanical training to African Americans (SC State University, 2013).

Education of Minorities

Although the education of freed slaves was a much-debated issue across the south,

Methodist missionaries took it upon themselves to establish Claflin University in 1869 to serve

this need (Claflin, 2011). Following a similar pattern, many intuitions devoted to educating

African American students were founded in correlation with various denominations of religion.

The goal of many of these institutions was to immerse freed slaves with society so that they

could be regular citizens with all of the same rights. This idea of educated African Americans

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has seen a long history of conflict as many white citizens considered their race inferior.

Although they have had to struggle and fight, African American institutions of higher education

has empowered and helped the race to grow and become leaders within the United States.

World Wars

Between the Civil War and World War I, South Carolina saw a steady growth of higher

education. Institutions of every kind were continually being established as well as college

entrance requirements and the Association of American Universities who was concerned with the

quality of education at various colleges. When the United States entered World War I, there

existed no screening of intellectual ability of recruits. As a result, the Committee on

Psychological Examination of Recruits designed the Army Alpha and Beta tests, which laid the

groundwork for our present day standardized tests (SAT, 2013).

In contrast to World War I, when the United States entered World War II, many young

men felt compelled to serve their country, and education became secondary to the issues at hand.

Despite the decrease in students during the war, higher education saw a dramatic increase in

enrollments prior to the end of the war. A direct result of this is due to the Servicemen’s

Readjustment Act of 1944, which is better know as the GI Bill of Rights. This bill allowed

Americans to earn their degree regardless of race or gender as long as they were on active duty

for at least 90 days and were not dishonorably discharged (GI Bill, 2012). The GI Bill helped

veterans to become assimilated in society and also afforded them the opportunity to improve

their educational status and thus potential for finding a better career.

Community, Junior and Technical Colleges

Once more, religion would play a factor in higher education as the South Carolina Baptist

Convention established Anderson College as the states first junior college in 1929.

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With increases in enrollments across the country, South Carolina established the

Advisory Committee for Technical Training to meet demands. Greenville Technical Education

Center became the first of 16 institutions in 1961. Since then, The Technical System has

continued to develop and grow as it increases the employability of the states citizens (SC Tech.)

South Carolina has also seen a growth of satellite institutions across the state. From the

University of South Carolina’s campus to Southern Wesleyan University, these colleges are

reaching out to every corner of the state. In addition, many for-profit institutions have

established campuses throughout the state. These campuses often offer courses at night and on-

line to accommodate the non-traditional student.

Present Day

Over the years, higher education in South Carolina has grown and developed. Not only

has the state concerned itself with physical institutions, but also with access for students. Since

January 7, 2002, the South Carolina Assembly has appropriated about $2,345 million dollars to

higher education programs and scholarships in order to provide opportunities for students

seeking an education at technical, four-year and USC regional campus colleges (SC Education

Lottery). In providing finical support, South Carolina is investing in its own citizen’s

educational endeavors and thus preparing them for the careers of today and tomorrow.

As the issues of student debt, the value of a college education, a decline in the

"traditional" student and an increase in the first generation/minority/older student have emerged,

institutions of higher education must be able to grow and change accordingly. With leaders and a

government who understand the importance of higher education, South Carolina has proven

throughout history be at the forefront of education and will continue in the years to come.

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Resources

Citadel, The. Brief history of The Citadel. Retrieved on July 10, 2013 from

http://www.citadel.edu/root/brief-history

Claflin University (2011). About Claflin. Retrieved on July 10, 2013 from

http://www.claflin.edu/about-claflin/claflin-history

Clemson University (2013). History. Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from

http://www.clemson.edu/about/history/

GI Bill (2012). The GI Bill’s history. Retrieved on July 10, 2013 from

http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/history_timeline/

Meriwether, C. & McCrady E.(1920). History of higher education in South Carolina (1833 -

1903). Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.

SAT (2013). A Brief History of the SAT. Frontline. Retrieved from

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/where/history.html

South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from

http://www.che.sc.gov/InfoCntr/Coll_Univ.htm

South Carolina Education Lottery (2005). Retrieved on July 10, 2013 from

http://www.sceducationlottery.com/educationwins/educationwins.aspx

South Carolina’s Information Highway (2013). South Carolina: Colleges and universities.

Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from http://www.sciway.net/colleges/

South Carolina State University (2013). History of SC State University. Retrieved on June 29,

2013 from http://www.scsu.edu/aboutscstate/historyofscstateuniversity.aspx

South Carolina Technical College System. Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from

http://www.sctechsystem.com/aboutus.html

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University of South Carolina. History of the University of South Carolina. Retrieved on June

29, 2013 from http://www.sc.edu/universityhistory/index.shtml

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EDLD 7432 – History of Higher EducationHistoriography Narrative Paper

Name: Jessica GoreUnsatisfactory

1Satisfactory

5Target

10Score

Esse

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Essentials of Assignment not met.

Essentials of Assignment met. Essential of Assignment exceeded. Included more articles than required. 9

Unsatisfactory1

Satisfactory5

Target10

Score

Cita

tion

s &

St

ruct

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APA Style Formatting of citations not followed or there are more errors in APA Style formatting than not. Numerous errors in grammar and spelling.

APA Style Formatting followed for all citations but include a number of form breaks. A few errors in grammar or spelling.

APA Style Formatting followed accurately for all citations with no form breaks. Minor errors in grammar and spelling. 9

Unsatisfactory1

Satisfactory20

Target40

Score

An

alys

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Narrative is weak and lacks any depth of analysis regarding issues/patterns/ themes related to the development of HE in the selected state.

Narrative is adequate. Analysis is a little more detailed and general links to issues/patterns/ themes related to the development of HE in the selected state are made.

Narrative is strong. Analysis contains a thorough link to issues/patterns/ themes related to the development of HE in the selected state. 37

Unsatisfactory 1

Satisfactory20

Target40

Score

Expr

essi

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Student lacks a clear message and point behind the writing. Supporting references are not used to strengthen points made by the student in the writing. The narrative lacks a sense of flow and a limited sense of organization to how the student’s ideas about HE themes/patterns are interpreted.

Student’s message is generally clear and there is a more defined argument or case behind the writing. Supporting references are relevant and help to strengthen points/ideas the student is making about HE patterns/themes in the selected state. There is a stronger purpose to the writing and the expression of ideas about the HE system are more organized and articulate.

Student’s message is solid with a definitive case being made. Supporting references strengthen the ideas about the HE system in the state are presented. The writing and expression of ideas are well thought out making the narrative interesting to read. From reading the paper, it is clear that the student has an articulate understanding of major patterns/themes or events in the growth/development of the HE system of the selected state.

37

Comments: Jessica, I have had an opportunity to read through your narrative analysis of the history of the HE system in South Carolina. It is really quite amazing

Total 92

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at just how early the history of postsecondary education in the state begins. I thought the areas you covered and the themes you spoke about were central to how history has impacted some of the changes experienced in the HE system in the state. I really like that you brought out that the system has tried to respond to its context and time in order to meet the academic and economic needs of the state. I thought it was interesting how SC used HE as a means establish harmony in the early history of the state. What you did write was easy to read and had limited grammar issues.Dr Jensen

Score

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