South Carolina State Seal

  

 

 

 

South Carolina State Seal

        The South Carolina State seal is often seen, but never understood. One rarely stops to ask what the elegant woman to the right or the subtle fallen oak to the left symbolize. However, they are very important, and today I will attempt to answer those unasked questions.
    The stately palmetto tree symbolizes a successful 1776 defense of Fort Moultrie against a British fleet. The defeated fleet is represented by the fallen oak at the palmetto's base. The two shields hanging below the  branches of the palmetto display the dates of the ratification of the state's first constitution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Behind the tree are crossed bundles of spears which represent the 12 colonies that signed the Declaration on July 4, 1776.The inscription Meliorem Lapsa Locavit (having fallen it has set up better) sits below the fallen oak. To the right is a woman walking over swords and daggers on the sea shore, representing Hope overcoming dangers. In her hand is a laurel branch which symbolizes the honors at Fort Moultrie. The oval surrounding the palmetto tree (left)is inscribed on the top "South Carolina" and on the bottom, " Animis Opibusque Parati." The latter inscription is the less common of two state mottos, meaning "Prepared in mind and resources." The oval surrounding the woman on the seashore (right) bears the engraving "Dum Spiro Spero," the more commonly known state motto meaning, "While I breathe, I hope."

Eliza Lucas Pinckney

Who was Eliza Lucas Pinckney?

 

      The ability of 16-year-old Eliza Lucas was put to the test when her father was deployed to Antigua in 1740. Upon his departure, Col. Lucas left the management of his household and three South Carolina plantations in his eldest daughter's capable hands.  In her father's absence, Eliza became the first to successfully cultivate indigo in the colony. She proceeded to export the crop. Never idle,  Eliza educated her younger sister Polly and the negro children on the Lucas plantations. This sharp Carolina lady helped to build the economy of the emergent colony through her thoughtful business schemes. 

     In May of 1744, Eliza Lucas married Charles Pinckney and proceeded to manage their extensive plantations as well as the Lucas holdings.

     Eliza, as a devoted wife and mother, vowed “to make a good wife to my dear Husband in all its several branches; to make all my actions Correspond with that sincere love and Duty I bear him… I am resolved to be a good mother to my children, to pray for them, to set them good examples, to give them good advice, to be careful both of their souls and bodies, to watch over their tender minds.”

Charles and Eliza had four children: Charles  Cotesworth, George Lucas (died soon after birth in June 1747), Harriott, and Thomas.

The surviving Pinckney sons became influential leaders. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney  was a signer of the U.S. Constitution  and was the Federalist Vice-Presidential candidate in 1800. In 1804 and 1808, he was the Federalist candidate for President. Thomas was appointed Minister to Spain, where he negotiated Pinckney's Treaty  in 1795 to guarantee US navigation rights on the Mississippi River. He was the Federalist Vice-Presidential candidate in 1796.

     Eliza Lucas Pinckney met her beloved Savior in 1793.

She left behind a beautiful example of true Biblical womanhood and entrepreneurship.  She is indeed a true mother of our country.

 

Honors bestowed upon her:

1989 - For her contributions to South Carolina's agriculture, Eliza Lucas Pinckney was the first woman to be inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.

1793 - President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral at St. Peter's Church, in Charleston County, South Carolina.

1753 - At an audience with Augusta, the Dowager Princess of Wales, in London, Eliza presented the princess with a dress made of silk produced on the Pinckney plantations.

If you are interested in learning more about Eliza, look no further than
Western Conservatory's The Letterbook of Eliza Lucas Pinckney. I have listened to and thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. In fact, it is what sparked my interest in Eliza Lucas Pinckney! I heartily recommend it.  To purchase, click the link below. -> The Letterbook of Eliza Lucas Pinckney 

By His grace, I am sincerely yours,

Danie Cambridge

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 1:3 

 

 

 

 

Each week, I will be posting a short bio on an interesting South Carolinian from the past.

This week:

Eliza Lucas Pinckney

Stay Tuned!

By His grace, I am sincerely yours,

Danie Cambridge

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 1:3 

Welcome to my blog!

Hello Fellow History Explorers!
This past month, I have begun to realize how many interesting personalities and heroes are contained in the pages of South Carolina's history. On this blog, I will share some of my discoveries, along with pictures of historic South Carolina cities and the heritage which help to build her. I hope you enjoy!
God bless you! 
By His grace, I am sincerely yours,

Danie Cambridge

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 1:3