First To Independence, First To Secede

On March 15th 1776 South Carolina declared it’s independence from England.

The colony of South Carolina declared its independence from England on March 15th 1776. It was the first American colony to set up it’s own government. In order to get South Carolina’s support, Thomas Jefferson removed any mention of criticism of slavery from the Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution found many slaves fighting for England and the promise of freedom. An estimated 25,000 slaves fled or died during the war, about thirty percent of whom were from South Carolina.

South Carolina was also the first state to vote to secede from the United States on December 20th 1860. The opening shots of the Civil War were fired in South Carolina at Fort Sumter.