History offers new, lively views

THE PALMETTO STATE: The Making of Modern South Carolina. By Jack Bass and W. Scott Poole. University of South Carolina Press. 243 pages. $24.95.

South Carolina has had a long and illustrious history. Library shelves groan from the weight of the comprehensive history books that tell its story. However, up until recent years, the recording of historical memory largely was devoted to heralding the achievements and political, social and economic contributions of white South Carolinians.

Jack Bass, professor emeritus of Humanities and Social Sciences at the College of Charleston, an author and longtime observer of the S.C. political scene, along with colleague W. Scott Poole, associate professor of history and the director of the master's program in history at the college, offer in this compendium a new view: not a revisionist history, but an inclusive history of the Palmetto State.

Their particular perspective shows that in the fullness of time, black and white citizens of South Carolina have a shared history in a shared land and probably have more in common than they have differences. That realization did not come easily as myth and reality repeatedly collided, with one side clinging tenaciously to a way of life and thought, embodied in deep-set traditions, and the other side equally determined to assert its rightful role in the course of events.

In "The Palmetto State," the authors, both with well-received publications that examined traditional and contemporary Southern themes, incorporate the contributions of black South Carolinians in the broad context of the state's historical narrative. Beginning with three black slaves who arrived with the first boatload of English settlers and ending with black contributions to the development of the state's iconic beach music and state dance, the shag, Bass and Poole chronicle the great political and social upheavals following the aftermath of slavery, such as Reconstruction, Tillmanism, the civil rights struggle and the emergence of blacks as a political force.

Of particular interest are examinations of the reactions of state leaders who, as events were thrust upon them, either arose to the occasion or were overwhelmed by them. Among them were Wade Hampton, Strom Thurmond, I. DeQuincy Newman, Fritz Hollings, Robert McNair, John West and James Clyburn. The rise of the Republican Party in South Carolina and the divisiveness within the state Democratic Party in the 1970s also are thoughtfully discussed.

In addition to political and social issues, other themes include explorations of black contributions to popular culture, the arts and the economy and how their inclusion has built relationships that have brought South Carolina into a new age of understanding and ended the silence that has largely enveloped long-standing racial issues.

A volume such as "The Palmetto State" is long overdue. It is a lively read, full of interesting facts and a worthy addition to the growing and groaning library shelves of South Carolina history.