Stringing Tobacco in Florence County, Summer 1938. Image from the Library of Congress, created by the US Farm Security Administration.
South Carolinians during the Great Depression faced significant hardships, only relieved with the economic relief of World War II.
South Carolinians in World War II
- World War II
Learn how the war began and who were the key players. - Vanishing Generation
Listen to WWII, Vietnam, and Iraq veterans from South Carolina tell their stories. - The Palmetto Greatest Generation
Listen and watch interviews of South Carolina World War II veterans. - South Carolinians in World War II
South Carolina citizens participated in World War II by fighting in the military, writing letters, and working in civilian textile mills. - How SC Helped Win World War II
This large poster shows how the people of South Carolina fought during World War II. - Celebrating Freedom: Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen was an all African American flying squad, with several South Carolina members. - South Carolina State War Fund Brochure
This pamphlet asked civilian residents to give money in support of military programs. - Columbia Survivors
Meet Holocaust survivors that came to live in Columbia, SC.
The Great Depression
- The Great Depression
Learn about the Great Depression of the 1930s. - African American Odyssey: The Depression, The New Deal, and World War II
See images of African American life during the Great Depression and World War II, including nurses and soldiers. - Dancing through the Great Depression
Find out how students at the University of South Carolina lived from 1929-1939. - The History of Social Security
The Social Security program was created in 1935 by Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of his New Deal.
Culture
- Ocean Forest Hotel
This grand hotel in Myrtle Beach opened in 1930 and had gardens, marble staircases, crystal chandeliers, and exclusive clientele. - City of Proud Memories
Watch a documentary of Charleston, SC from the 1930s. - Ration Coupons on the Home Front, 1942-1945
During World War II, Americans were rationed and only able to buy a certain amount of items such as tires, gasoline, food, and cars. - Jeanes Supervisors
Jeanes Supervisors were African American women trained to be model teachers in their communities. - Melvin Purvis
Born in Timmonsville, SC, Melvin Purvis was an FBI agent responsible for ending the criminal careers of Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and John Dillinger.
Photographs from Around the State
- Picturing the 1930s
Explore the virtual theater to learn about the Great Depression, the New Deal, and other events of the 1930s. - General Interior Store
See what a store had on its shelf in Florence County in the 1930s. - Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange took photographs of rural poverty and sharecroppers from around the country, including South Carolina. - Agriculture (1925 - 1960)
See photographs of farming in our state, including planting of kudzu, 4-H projects, and growing cattle.
Places and Events
- Lake Murray - 1930
Learn more about the construction of Lake Murray. - Against Isolationism: James F. Byrnes Refutes Lindbergh
Read a speech from Senator James F. Byrnes, refuting a speech famous aviator Charles Lindbergh gave favoring American neutrality in the wary. - "Treated Like Slaves": Textile Workers Write to Washington in the 1930s and 1940s
Textile workers wrote to the president and other officials, describing their poor working and living conditions.
Julia Peterkin
Portrait of Julia Peterkin. Image from the Library of Congress.
Julia Peterkin was a writer from Laurens County who wrote about the African American experience in the South.
