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South Carolina Glossary

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A marsh with bluish-brown water and golden grass

salt marsh

(noun) - low-lying wetland that is frequently flooded with saltwater

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Map of SC in various colors to represent each region. Inner Coastal Plain is in orange while the outer is in blue.

Sandhills

(noun) - the hilly, central area of South Carolina that was a prehistoric beachfront and is marked by deposits of sand and sedimentary rock

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sandlapper

(noun) - a nickname for South Carolinians, primarily from the sandy eastern part of the state.

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A outdoor mill with various lumber placed beneath open air buildings

sawmill

(noun) - a building with machines used to cut lumber

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scalawag

(noun) - a nickname for southern whites who supported Reconstruction following the Civil War

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Scots-Irish

(noun) - a person from Scotland living in Ireland, especially Scottish Protestants sent by the English crown to settle in Catholic Northern Ireland. Many immigrated to the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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Light orange map of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida coastline

Sea Islands

(noun) - a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean coast. There are over 100 islands in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

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White bird with a opened orange beak

seagull

(noun) - a common bird that lives near the ocean

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Map of United States with the southern states in red

secede

(verb) - to split from or to withdraw from membership of a political union, an alliance, or an organization

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Windowfront with a picture of food and drink

segregate

(verb) - to separate by race or religion. Also, to practice a policy of racial segregation.

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A tan brick building and purple sign

seminary

(noun) - a theological school for training ministers, priests, or rabbis

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A patterned carpet, peach and ivory colored walls surround dark wood desks with black chairs

Senate

(noun) - the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly.

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people dancing in the street

shag dance

(noun) - the Carolina Shag is a partner dance done primarily to Beach Music, originating along the North and South Carolina coast.

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Woman sitting in a chair holding a baby

sharecropper

(noun) - a person who enters an agreement with a land owner to farm the land and then pay a portion (share) of the produce as rent

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Flowing water

shoal

(noun) - a shallow area of water in a river, often rocky

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Cotton and dark stems

short-staple cotton

(noun) - a cotton variety that has shorter fibers than long-staple cotton and became the signature crop across the American South after the invention of Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin in 1793.

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A young black man and white man sit beside each other at the lunch counter

sit-in

(noun) - a form of civil disobedience in which demonstrators occupy seats and refuse to move

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A old man and woman stand on the porch

slave

(noun) - a person held in forced servitude

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Slave Codes

(noun) - laws that each US state, or colony, enacted that defined the status of slaves and the rights of masters.

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crouched man in an olive and brown uniform tinkering with a black machine

soldier

(noun) - a member of an army

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A pale young woman with black hair wearing a off shoulder white dress with a navy blue slash

sovereign

(noun) - a person who possesses superior power, rank, or authority

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green pods

soybean

(noun) - an important legume grown in South Carolina and used in a variety of foods, as fodder for cattle, and in industrial products

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A grey brown tree with grey moss hanging from the tree limbs

Spanish moss

(noun) - a flowering plant that grows upon larger trees, commonly the southern live oak or bald cypress in the lowlands and savannas of southeastern United States

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men in different colors riding horses

steeplechase

(noun) - a horse race

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Women in white dresses walk down the street

suffrage

(noun) - the right to vote in political elections

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A large off-white building in neoclassical style

Supreme Court

(noun) - the highest federal court in the United States. Also used as the name for the highest state court.

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A man on a white horse next to a man in a red coat walking between two armies

surrender

(verb) - to give up

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Trees growing out of murky green water

swamp

(noun) - an area of land that is usually under shallow water.

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StudySC is an online resource about South Carolina for K-12 homework help, projects, and more. StudySC provides teachers with curated content to support classroom activities. StudySC is arranged by grade level and subject areas, and it meets South Carolina-specific curriculum standards.

StudySC is a service of the South Carolina State Library and is funded in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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