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- The history of Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the longest and most diverse of any community in the United States, spanning hundreds of years of physical settlement beginning in 1670. Charleston was one of leading cities in the South from the colonial era to the Civil War in the 1860s. The city grew wealthy through the export of rice and, later, sea island cotton and it was the base for many wealthy merchants and landowners. "Charleston was the capital of American slavery." The devastation of the Civil War and the ruin of the Charleston's hinterland lost the city its regional dominance. However, it would remain the center of the South Carolina economy. In the ensuing decades of the late 19th century, upstate politicians would routinely attack its aristocratic and undemocratic tone. By the 1900s, Charleston was emerging as a cultural center. In the 1920s, the Charleston Renaissance saw a boom in the arts sector as artists, writers, architects, and historical preservationists came together to improve the city. Preservation efforts of historic buildings and sites had been put into place by the 1940s. Beginning and during World War II, Charleston became a major naval base. A Naval presence, shipyards, the surrounding medical industry, and tourism, would help the city grow economically through the 20th century. In contemporary Charleston, tourism and other service industries have led the economy. (en)
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