Province of South Carolina

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A map of the Province of Carolina.
A map of the Province of Carolina.

The South Carolina Colony was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered in 1663 because the king was rewarding his loyal followers. The colony later became the U.S. state of South Carolina.

The Carolinas were named for King Charles I of England. The Latin word "Carolana" means "The land of Charles", and the spelling was later changed to "Carolina".Originally a single proprietary colony, the Carolinas fell into a period of dissension, partly from neglect from the heirs of the original Lords Proprietors. Dissent over governance of the province led to the appointment of a deputy governor to administer the northern half of Carolina colony in 1691. The division between North and South became complete in 1712, but both colonies remained in the hands of the same group of proprietors. The Yamasee War of 1715-1717 ravaged the backcountry of the colony. Complaints that the proprietors had not done enough to protect the colonists against the Indians in the Yamasee War and against the neighboring Spanish in Queen Anne's War convinced many in South Carolinians of the necessity of ending proprietary rule. Consequently, a rebellion broke out against the proprietors in 1719. At the petition of the residents of the colony who were seeking a return to order, the British government appointed of a royal governor for South Carolina in 1720. (The governor of North Carolina would continue to be appointed by the proprietors until 1729.) After nearly a decade in which the British government sought to locate and buy out the proprietors, both North and South Carolina became royal colonies in 1729.

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