South Carolina State Symbols
Animal - Whitetail Deer
Game Bird - Wild Turkey
Fish - Striped Bass
Reptile - Loggerhead Turtle
Insect - Carolina Mantid
Butterfly - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Dog - Boykin Spaniel
Bird - Carolina Wren
Shell - Lettered Olive
Amphibian - Spotted Salamander
Spider - Carolina Wolf Spider
The State Motto
South Carolina has two mottoes:
(1) DUM SPIRO SPERO, meaning "WHILE I BREATHE I HOPE" and refers to the figure of Hope on the State Seal
(2) ANIMIS OPIBUSQUE PARATI meaning "READY IN SOUL AND RESOURCE"
THE STATE DANCE
The Shag
The General Assembly by Act No. 329, 1984, designated the Shag as the official dance of the State. The Shag, one of the great developments of terpsichorean culture and native to this State, is performed to music known as rhythm and blues. Both the music and dance are structured on time signature and can be performed to almost any tempo, as long as the basic step is maintained and kept in time to the music.
THE STATE FOLK DANCE
The Square Dance
The General Assembly by Act No. 329, 1994, designated the Square Dance as the official American Folk Dance of the State. Square dancing is a traditional form of family recreation in South Carolina and is an activity for young and old which has been recorded throughout South Carolina's history. Square dancing is the American Folk Dance which is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, and heritage dances.
THE STATE WALTZ
The Richardson Waltz
The Richardson Waltz was designated as the official State Waltz by Act No. 389 in 2000. This waltz, a beautiful and soulful melody, is a memento of the musical tradition of the Richardson family, descendants of General Richard Richardson, and has for many generations played an unofficial but important role in the musical history of South Carolina.
THE STATE SONGS
"Carolina"
Complete lyrics
Acting on the memorial of the South Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution that the patriotic song "Carolina," written by Henry Timrod, South Carolina's most beloved poet, set to music by Miss Anne Custis Burgess, be made "legally the State Song," the General Assembly, on February 11, 1911, adopted Senator W.L. Mauldin's Concurrent Resolution that it "be accented and declared to be the State Song of South Carolina."
"South Carolina on My Mind"
Complete Lyrics
"South Carolina on My Mind" created, sung and recorded by Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge, native South Carolinians, was designated by Act No. 302, 1984, as an official State Song.
THE STATE MUSIC
The Spiritual
ACT 64, (H.177), 1999 designated THE SPIRITUAL as the Official Music of the State.
The spiritual is a song originating in the slave era that deals primarily with a religious or sacred theme. Much of this music originated along the coastal regions of South Carolina. The spiritual was passed down orally for many years and first committed to writing in South Carolina on St. Helena Island by a freed black woman and a white Union Army officer during the Civil War. The publication of an 1867 book on slave songs was the result of the work done by an educational mission on the Port Royal islands in 1861.
The earliest known spirituals were taken from passages of the Bible. Some well-known examples of spirituals are "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Steal Away to Jesus", "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen", "Roll, Jordan, Roll", "Wade in the Water" "Come by Here Lord, Come by Here", "This Little Light of Mine", "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", "Go Down, Moses", "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", and "Follow the Drinking Gourd".
Booker T. Washington probably best described spirituals as "... the spontaneous outbursts of intense religious fervor... having their origin chiefly in the camp meetings, the revivals and in other religious gatherings... the music of these songs goes to the heart because it comes from the heart...". Those South Carolinians who perform the "Gullah Shout" state that spirituals are key to getting the rhythm for the "Shout". In old spirituals style, a leader improvises the text, time, and melody and other singers respond by repeating short phrases, and this traditional West African singing style is referred to as leader-chorus or call-and-response.
The legacy of spirituals is still evident in African-American communities where the "talking back" or call and response heard among churchgoers comes directly from slave songs and spirituals. For many South Carolina citizens, the spirituals were the first songs they learned. Singing a spiritual is one way of honoring one's past and lineage. Although spirituals are not literature, the Norton Anthology of African American Literature signaled their importance by opening up the anthology with a chapter entitled "The Vernacular Tradition" and spirituals are the first discussed oral tradition of black expression.
THE STATE POPULAR MUSIC
Beach Music
The General Assembly by Act No. 15, 2001 designated beach music as the official popular music of South Carolina. Beach music has contributed tremendously to the enjoyment of our citizens and has become synonymous with the Shag.
THE STATE OPERA
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess was designated the official Opera of the State by the General Assembly by Act 94, 2001.
THE STATE POET LAUREATE
Marjory Wentworth
Marjory Wentworth was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. Educated at Mt. Holyoke College and Oxford University, she received her M.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from New York University. Her poems have appeared in numerous books and magazines, and she has twice been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. Nightjars, a chapbook of her poems, was published by Laurel Publishing in 1995. Most recently, her poems have been published with Mary Edna Fraser's art in a book of poetry and monotype prints called What the Water Gives Me. Noticing Eden, a collection of poems, was published by Hub City Press in October 2003. She teaches poetry in "Expressions of Healing"—an arts and healing program for cancer patients and their families. She has recently completed a non-fiction manuscript about her work with cancer patients. She also teaches creative writing at The Charleston County School of the Arts. Ms. Wentworth serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Literature Council of Charleston. She lives on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, with her husband Peter and their three sons.
THE STATE GEM
The Amethyst
The Amethyst was designated as the official State Gem Stone by the General Assembly June 24, 1969 (Act No. 345). "S.C. is one of three states where the gem stone Amethyst of good quality is found in the U.S.; the curator of mineralogy for the Smithsonian Institute has graded one of the largest early specimens from this State as the finest seen in this country; such stone now holds first place in the Amethyst section in the institute...is the most prized type of quartz for its wide use and various shades and hue from deep orchid color."
THE STATE STONE
Blue Granite
The General Assembly by Act No. 345 of 1969, adopted the Blue Granite as the official stone of the State. The Act stated that "the blue granite stone of this State has been widely used to beautify all areas of South Carolina.
THE STATE GRASS
Indian Grass
Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans, was designated as the official Grass of the State by Act 94, 2001.
South Carolina has two mottoes:
(1) DUM SPIRO SPERO, meaning "WHILE I BREATHE I HOPE" and refers to the figure of Hope on the State Seal
(2) ANIMIS OPIBUSQUE PARATI meaning "READY IN SOUL AND RESOURCE"
THE STATE DANCE
The Shag
The General Assembly by Act No. 329, 1984, designated the Shag as the official dance of the State. The Shag, one of the great developments of terpsichorean culture and native to this State, is performed to music known as rhythm and blues. Both the music and dance are structured on time signature and can be performed to almost any tempo, as long as the basic step is maintained and kept in time to the music.
THE STATE FOLK DANCE
The Square Dance
The General Assembly by Act No. 329, 1994, designated the Square Dance as the official American Folk Dance of the State. Square dancing is a traditional form of family recreation in South Carolina and is an activity for young and old which has been recorded throughout South Carolina's history. Square dancing is the American Folk Dance which is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, and heritage dances.
THE STATE WALTZ
The Richardson Waltz
The Richardson Waltz was designated as the official State Waltz by Act No. 389 in 2000. This waltz, a beautiful and soulful melody, is a memento of the musical tradition of the Richardson family, descendants of General Richard Richardson, and has for many generations played an unofficial but important role in the musical history of South Carolina.
THE STATE SONGS
"Carolina"
Complete lyrics
Acting on the memorial of the South Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution that the patriotic song "Carolina," written by Henry Timrod, South Carolina's most beloved poet, set to music by Miss Anne Custis Burgess, be made "legally the State Song," the General Assembly, on February 11, 1911, adopted Senator W.L. Mauldin's Concurrent Resolution that it "be accented and declared to be the State Song of South Carolina."
"South Carolina on My Mind"
Complete Lyrics
"South Carolina on My Mind" created, sung and recorded by Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge, native South Carolinians, was designated by Act No. 302, 1984, as an official State Song.
THE STATE MUSIC
The Spiritual
ACT 64, (H.177), 1999 designated THE SPIRITUAL as the Official Music of the State.
The spiritual is a song originating in the slave era that deals primarily with a religious or sacred theme. Much of this music originated along the coastal regions of South Carolina. The spiritual was passed down orally for many years and first committed to writing in South Carolina on St. Helena Island by a freed black woman and a white Union Army officer during the Civil War. The publication of an 1867 book on slave songs was the result of the work done by an educational mission on the Port Royal islands in 1861.
The earliest known spirituals were taken from passages of the Bible. Some well-known examples of spirituals are "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Steal Away to Jesus", "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen", "Roll, Jordan, Roll", "Wade in the Water" "Come by Here Lord, Come by Here", "This Little Light of Mine", "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", "Go Down, Moses", "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", and "Follow the Drinking Gourd".
Booker T. Washington probably best described spirituals as "... the spontaneous outbursts of intense religious fervor... having their origin chiefly in the camp meetings, the revivals and in other religious gatherings... the music of these songs goes to the heart because it comes from the heart...". Those South Carolinians who perform the "Gullah Shout" state that spirituals are key to getting the rhythm for the "Shout". In old spirituals style, a leader improvises the text, time, and melody and other singers respond by repeating short phrases, and this traditional West African singing style is referred to as leader-chorus or call-and-response.
The legacy of spirituals is still evident in African-American communities where the "talking back" or call and response heard among churchgoers comes directly from slave songs and spirituals. For many South Carolina citizens, the spirituals were the first songs they learned. Singing a spiritual is one way of honoring one's past and lineage. Although spirituals are not literature, the Norton Anthology of African American Literature signaled their importance by opening up the anthology with a chapter entitled "The Vernacular Tradition" and spirituals are the first discussed oral tradition of black expression.
THE STATE POPULAR MUSIC
Beach Music
The General Assembly by Act No. 15, 2001 designated beach music as the official popular music of South Carolina. Beach music has contributed tremendously to the enjoyment of our citizens and has become synonymous with the Shag.
THE STATE OPERA
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess was designated the official Opera of the State by the General Assembly by Act 94, 2001.
THE STATE POET LAUREATE
Marjory Wentworth
Marjory Wentworth was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. Educated at Mt. Holyoke College and Oxford University, she received her M.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from New York University. Her poems have appeared in numerous books and magazines, and she has twice been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. Nightjars, a chapbook of her poems, was published by Laurel Publishing in 1995. Most recently, her poems have been published with Mary Edna Fraser's art in a book of poetry and monotype prints called What the Water Gives Me. Noticing Eden, a collection of poems, was published by Hub City Press in October 2003. She teaches poetry in "Expressions of Healing"—an arts and healing program for cancer patients and their families. She has recently completed a non-fiction manuscript about her work with cancer patients. She also teaches creative writing at The Charleston County School of the Arts. Ms. Wentworth serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Literature Council of Charleston. She lives on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, with her husband Peter and their three sons.
THE STATE GEM
The Amethyst
The Amethyst was designated as the official State Gem Stone by the General Assembly June 24, 1969 (Act No. 345). "S.C. is one of three states where the gem stone Amethyst of good quality is found in the U.S.; the curator of mineralogy for the Smithsonian Institute has graded one of the largest early specimens from this State as the finest seen in this country; such stone now holds first place in the Amethyst section in the institute...is the most prized type of quartz for its wide use and various shades and hue from deep orchid color."
THE STATE STONE
Blue Granite
The General Assembly by Act No. 345 of 1969, adopted the Blue Granite as the official stone of the State. The Act stated that "the blue granite stone of this State has been widely used to beautify all areas of South Carolina.
THE STATE GRASS
Indian Grass
Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans, was designated as the official Grass of the State by Act 94, 2001.
Source: South Carolina Legistature
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