The Charleston History Museum

The Charleston History Museum - 360 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29403

“About The Museum.” Charleston Museum. Accessed February 14, 2024. https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/support-us/about-the-museum/.

• The Charleston History Museum is America’s oldest museum, founded in 1773. The museum was founded right before the outbreak of the American Revolution by the Charleston Library Society. The museum focuses on the South Carolina Lowcountry, examining from the American Revolution to the 20^th
• An important collection is the Lowcountry Hall, where the exhibition shows the history of Native Americans on South Carolina land, gradually giving way to European Americans and African Americans.

The International African American Museum

International African American Museum – 14 Wharfside St, Charleston, SC 29401

“About the International African American Museum.” IAAM, May 9, 2023. https://iaamuseum.org/about/.

• The International African American Museum is where 40% of all enslaved African Americans once stood were brought into America. The museum focuses on telling the stories of African American history and culture through its exhibitions to reveal these hidden stories.
• There are unique collections depicting the culture and character of African American history. Additionally, the museum acts as an installation, with the museum itself building parts of the museum in the dedication to the African diaspora. In the gardens, on the ground, there are silhouettes of African men, women, and children to represent the 40% who were brought over by sea against their will.

The Charleston Library Society

The Charleston Library Society – 164 King St, Charleston, SC 29401

Charleston Library Society. Accessed February 16, 2024. https://charlestonlibrarysociety.org/.

• The Charleston Library Society was founded in 1748 and is known as the second-oldest circulated library in the United States. This library is a private lending library with historical documents and materials.
• In the archives there are collections of letters, manuscripts, books, and other resources for South Carolina's Lowcountry and Charleston.
• a manuscript copy of The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina in the penmanship of John Locke. Other items include letters from Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. Colonial and early republic newspapers are housed here, too.

The College of Charleston - Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library

The Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library – The College of Charleston Library – 205 Calhoun St, Charleston, SC 29401

“Locations & Directions.” College of Charleston Libraries, August 10, 2022. https://library.charleston.edu/about/locations-directions/.

• This is one of The College of Charleston’s libraries. The Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library is the main library on campus, open to students of the institution. The library also has a congressional depository of government documents.
• There is a Special Collections room, and the South Carolina Historical Society Archives houses collections of historical materials here.
• Such archival collections include the resources and materials about South Carolina's Lowcountry, the Spoleto Festival archive, the Jewish Heritage Collection, and more.

The Charleston Daily News

The Charleston Daily News (Historic)

“About The Charleston Daily News.” National Endowment for the Humanities. Accessed February 16, 2024. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026994/.

• The Charleston Daily News was in circulation from 1865 to 1873. It was founded by George R. Cathcart and James W. McMillan, natives of South Carolina and New York native Manfred Morton. The newspaper covered topics of the Lowcountry region of South Carolina during the Civil War.
• In 1873, the newspaper merged with the Daily News, calling it the Charleston News and Courier. Then, in 1991, the newspaper merged with the Charleston Evening Post, calling it the Charleston Post and Courier.
• The Charleston Daily News from 1865 to 1873 is a historic newspaper not in print.

The Charleston Mercury (Historic)

“The Charleston Mercury.” American Battlefield Trust, February 15, 2024. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/charleston-mercury.

• The Charleston Mercury began its circulation in 1823 under a different title called the Charleston Mercury and Morning Advertiser. In 1825, Henry L. Pinckney bought the publication and turned it into a partisan newspaper called Charleston Mercury.
• The newspaper was a pro-south newspaper printing material on slavery and states' rights. The newspaper continued with its secessionist views till the end of the Civil War. In retrospect, this newspaper largely criticized President Jefferson Davis during the Civil War, while the Charleston Courier was an avid supporter.
• On February 18, 1865, the newspaper closed when the Union Army advanced into Charleston. However, it resumed in 1866, only for it to close in 1868.

The Afro-American Citizen (Historic)

“The Afro-American Citizen (Charleston, S.C.) 1899-1902.” The Library of Congress. Accessed February 16, 2024. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83025782/.

• The Afro-American Citizen began publishing in 1899 but ceased to circulate by 1902. This newspaper was started by Louis George Gregory and Reverand Samuel S. Youngblood. The newspaper's mission was to print about the cultural and intellectual life of African Americans living in Charleston.
• The newspaper reported on local, national, and global news. The newspaper wanted to print material on local African Americans rising from areas of poverty and struggle. The Afro-American Citizen ceased to exist in 1902 when Gregory decided to become a lawyer and head to law school at Howard University.

The Post and Courier (Current)

“About Us: The Post and Courier.” Post and Courier, May 18, 2022. https://www.postandcourier.com/site/about.html.

• The Post and Courier began printing in 1991 and is currently still in circulation. The Post and Courier dates back to 1803, but under different titles. The Post and Courier came about with the merging of Charleston News and Courier and Charleston Evening Post agreed to join together in 1991.
• The Post and Courier is Charleston, SC's main circulated daily newspaper. The newspaper reports on local South Carolina news and news about America and the world.

Charleston Mercury (Current)

“Newspaper: Charleston Mercury.” Charleston Mercury, December 30, 1969. https://www.charlestonmercury.com/.

• The Charleston Mercury began circulating in 2002. This is a local Charleton publication publishing news around the surrounding Lowcountry. The newspaper provides local news and political analysis and opinion and humor pieces.
• Additionally, the main emphasis of this paper is to reveal the life of the Lowcountry. The newspaper publishes about the Lowcountry and the art, culture, environment, and those who live in Charleston and the surrounding cities.

A Golden Haze of Memory by Stephanie E. Yuhl

A Golden Haze of Memory: The Making of Historic Charleston by Stephanie E. Yuhl

Yuhl, Stephanie E. A Golden Haze of Memory: The Making of Historic Charleston. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2005.

• Published in 2005, A Golden Haze of Memory focuses on constructing historic Charleston, a city reminiscent of the South's history and past.
• Yuhl argues that the white elites of Charleston wanted to preserve its Southern history and treasured city so that it could be preserved for future generations. Yuhl’s gravitation towards Southern heritage presents historic Charleston as a sanitized city constructed by white elites, preserving the white society's stronghold over the city.

Renaissance in Charleston: Art and Life in the Carolina Low Country, 1900-1940 by James M. Hutchisson

Renaissance in Charleston: Art and Life in the Carolina Low Country, 1900-1940 by James M. Hutchisson

Hutchisson, James M., and Harlan Greene. Renaissance in Charleston: Art and life in the Carolina Low Country, 1900-1940. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, 2003.

• Published in 2003, Renaissance in Charleston focuses on the cultural revival in Charleston beginning in 1920. Charleston's Renaissance features an emergence of movements in the city's artistic and literary fields.
• Hutchisson uses the movement's significant people like John Bennett, Josephine Pinckney, DuBose Heyward, and others to trace the cultural renaissance. This new cultural renaissance, through its published material, explored avenues of race and sexuality within the city, as well as critiquing Charleston's Old South myths. While this was a cultural breakthrough, Hutchisson explores how it was only sometimes positively received.

Charleston in Black and White: Race and Power in the South after the Civil Rights Movement by Steve Estes

Estes, Steve. Charleston in Black and White: Race and Power in the South after the Civil Rights Movement. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2018.

• Published in 2015, Charleston in Black and White follows the Civil Rights Movement and how Charleston became part of a nationwide movement for equality and justice. Estes uses the narratives of over 50 oral history interviews to shape the story of the Civil Rights Movement in Charleston.
• Estes examines how black empowerment came to Charleston and how Charleston either accepted or objected to these new changes. This in-depth look at Charleston is examined in the 1970s, the heart of the Civil Rights Movement.

America Street, directed by Idrissou Mora-Kpai

America Street, directed by Idrissou Mora-Kpai

America Street. Film. United States, 2019.

• Released in 2019, America Street follows Charleston’s East Side neighborhood, a predominantly African American community. Director Mora-Kpai examines a once-thriving African-American city that is now gentrified.
• The director follows an African American man named Joe, a small business owner, and how the East Side is slowly being transformed. The director examines the stories and culture of African Americans and how the feeling of marginalization and white supremacy is expanding in American cities.

America's First Museum: The Charleston Museum, directed by Marc Doyle and Chesney Blankenstein Doyle

America’s First Museum: The Charleston Museum. Film. Echo Pictures. United States: Echo Pictures, n.d.

• Released in 2002, America’s First Museum follows the Charleston Museum, the first-ever museum created in the United States. Directors Marc Doyle and Chesney Blankenstein Doyle examine the history of the Charleston Museum, from when it was created in 1773 to today.
• The directors also examine the Charleston Museum's mission as a museum and its goals and values. Additionally, they use the museum to detail the city's history as the museum continues its efforts to protect and preserve the city's history.

Emanuel, directed by Brian Tetsuro Ivie

Emanuel, directed by Brian Tetsuro Ivie

Emanuel. Film. United States: Fathom Events, 2019.

• Released in 2019, Emanuel focuses on the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the events that transpired. The shooting by a white supremacist killed 9 African American churchgoers.
• Directed by Brian Tetsuro Ivie, Ivie examines the role of race relations in Charleston’s long history. The director also explores how the attack left a significant impact on Charleston and America as a whole. Additionally, the director provides a look at the community of Charleston after the shooting and how the community came together and mourned this tragic display of hate but also strengthened in the process.