Book on S.C. history includes role of blacks

Concise yet expansive, "The Palmetto State: The Making of Modern South Carolina" by Charlestonians Jack Bass and W. Scott Poole reflects Bass' assurance that "We believe telling a good story is telling the whole story."

The authors wanted to move beyond the tendency of many state histories to focus solely on well-known individuals and incidents by introducing some figures of whom many are unaware, not least the role of African- Americans in South Carolina history.

"I think we keep both Jack's priorities to register recent change within the state and to write a short book that newcomers to South Carolina would find useful in understanding their adopted home," said Poole, associate professor of history and director of the master's program in history at the College of Charleston.

"But the rapid pace of change over these last decades made necessary a fairly significant update of Jack's 1972 history, 'Porgy Comes Home.' "

Among the updates is an economic one, moving from the beginnings of the new economy in the post-World War II years and civil rights era to developments that followed.

"We address the whole role of BMW, of Michelin Corp., of the State Ports (Authority) in economic development, as well as the role of political leadership and education in furthering the economy," said Bass, director of the Citadel Alumni World War II Oral History Project and professor emeritus of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston.

"The material pulls it all together and gives the reader some understanding of those aspects, plus the role of tourism as a driving economic force in the state."

There is also a principal focus on the dynamics of historical memory, and how the tensions of race, religion and cultural life, as well as economics, often are central to major historical shifts in history.

Bass, a retired journalist and eyewitness to much state history, also is the author of "Strom," "The Transformation of Southern Politics" and "Taming the Storm." His collaboration with Poole, who brought some of his own concerns to the project with regard to religion and popular culture, was a beneficial one.

"Readers will find a discussion of the history of varied religious groups at all areas of South Carolina history, as well as more on literature, music and other aspects of cultural life than would normally be found in a state history," said Poole, author of "Never Surrender."

"Finally, we made use of much of the latest scholarship on Reconstruction to paint one of the more full and complete pictures of that era found in any history of the state."

Culminating at the end of 2008, with reflections on the presidential election, the book does not stint on detail involving pivotal late 19th- and, especially, 20th-century social and political figures.

BRIEF ASSESSMENTS OF KEY 'PALMETTO' FIGURES

From interviews, a selection of capsule assessments from Jack Bass and W. Scott Poole, authors of "The Palmetto State: The Making of Modern South Carolina":

BEN TILLMAN (POOLE): "Tillman (as a governor and U.S. senator) plays a pivotal role in the book, given that he shaped many of the governmental, social, and racial structures that endure far into the 20th century. His use of political cronyism limited everything from the development of infrastructure to the growth of local democracy. His use of racial demagoguery deeply perverted the electoral process."

STROM THURMOND (BASS): "Strom is the most enduring 20th century political figure in America, and left a real impact on American history by reshaping the Supreme Court. He is complicated. He started out as the liberal governor of South Carolina, then reversed his direction. His career as a senator began as the foremost opponent of civil rights, but he ended up voting for a 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act in 1982. He adapted to the time. He had very keen political antennae."

FRITZ HOLLINGS (BASS): "I think he was a transformational figure (as governor and U.S. senator), socially and economically, if less so politically. He shifted the whole direction of the state from looking at the past to looking at the present and future. He was a critical figure in South Carolina in reacting to civil rights change with accommodation rather than confrontation, which became very important. Simultaneously, he set the state on a path of economic transformation. He leaves a real legacy, as well, of what he did for the state while he was in Washington."

"COTTON ED" SMITH (POOLE): "One of our longestserving (as U.S. senator) and least-effectual politicians (1906-1944) in our history. His reputation rested solely on his gaudy use of "cotton" symbolism and a viciously racist story he told again and again about his walking out of the 1936 Democratic convention after an African-American minister's invocation."

HARVEY GANTT (BASS): "It was South Carolina's good fortune, in a sense, that Gantt applied on his own to enroll at Clemson and break the color line. It was South Carolina's good fortune that he had Matthew Perry as his lawyer, and it was the state's good fortune that Fritz Hollings was there and setting everything up for Clemson, and that Donald Russell succeeded him as governor. Gantt once said that if you can't appeal to the morals of a South Carolinian, you can always appeal to his manners."

MATTHEW PERRY (BASS): "The importance of Perry would be hard to exaggerate. An absolutely first-rate lawyer who consistently won his cases, but always showed respect to those on the other side. He did it quietly, worked extremely hard, and did a great deal to help make those rulings of the federal courts acceptable to everyone."

ROBERT McNAIR (POOLE): "A governor who sought to be progressive on economic development and on matters of race but whose commitment to 'law and order' showed the limits of that approach. The Orangeburg Massacre and the cover-up that followed will forever be connected with his administration."

JIM CLYBURN (POOLE): "Few realize the pivotal role he has played in the state's civil rights struggle, a role that prepared him to take his place on the national stage. Moreover, when he went to Congress in 1992, he became the first African-American to represent the state there since 1897."

— Bill Thompson

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.