Charleston Exam Questions with
Revised and Updated Answers
1562 - Answer-• 1562: French attempt to settle on Parris Island
o Built a fort named Charlesfort
o Settlement fails within a year
o Similar French attempts to settle in Florida bring about bloody Spanish massacre and
equally bloody French massacre
1663 - Answer-1663: King Charles II granted Carolina territory to eight of his friends -
the Loyal Proprietors. Charlestown was first Carolina settlement
• By 1690 - 20 years after founding - Charles Town (as it was known) was 5th largest
city in North America; was a large port town
• 1718: Charleston was besieged by the pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard
• Mid-1700s: Bustling trade center
o Wealthiest and largest city south of Philadelphia
o Hub of deersk
1776-1783 - Answer-o Fort Sullivan was created to defend Charleston from the Brits;
renamed Fort Moultrie after Col. William Moultrie defended the city from British invasion
▪ Day of battle is now Carolina Day - June 28
o Siege of Charles Town - 1780
▪ Greatest American defeat of revolution
▪ British had control of city until 1782, renamed Charleston (not Charles town) in 1783
1800 - Answer-• 1800s: Sephardic Jews - Jews coming from Spain - migrated here.
Charleston was home to the largest and wealthiest Jewish population in North America
(held this stat until 1830)
• 40% of African slaves were brought in through Sullivan's Island - a port in Charleston
1785-1861 - Answer-• Plantation state through antebellum period 1785-1861
o Large pop of free people of color, who were educated and skilled
o Largest crop was rice, cotton, and indigo
• Civil War:
o Fort Sumter (beginning of the war)
o War Dept. used Citadel Military Army as federal garrison
• Slow to recover from Civil War devastation but restored historical buildings to
reinvigorate economy
Population - Answer-128,000
Revised and Updated Answers
1562 - Answer-• 1562: French attempt to settle on Parris Island
o Built a fort named Charlesfort
o Settlement fails within a year
o Similar French attempts to settle in Florida bring about bloody Spanish massacre and
equally bloody French massacre
1663 - Answer-1663: King Charles II granted Carolina territory to eight of his friends -
the Loyal Proprietors. Charlestown was first Carolina settlement
• By 1690 - 20 years after founding - Charles Town (as it was known) was 5th largest
city in North America; was a large port town
• 1718: Charleston was besieged by the pirate Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard
• Mid-1700s: Bustling trade center
o Wealthiest and largest city south of Philadelphia
o Hub of deersk
1776-1783 - Answer-o Fort Sullivan was created to defend Charleston from the Brits;
renamed Fort Moultrie after Col. William Moultrie defended the city from British invasion
▪ Day of battle is now Carolina Day - June 28
o Siege of Charles Town - 1780
▪ Greatest American defeat of revolution
▪ British had control of city until 1782, renamed Charleston (not Charles town) in 1783
1800 - Answer-• 1800s: Sephardic Jews - Jews coming from Spain - migrated here.
Charleston was home to the largest and wealthiest Jewish population in North America
(held this stat until 1830)
• 40% of African slaves were brought in through Sullivan's Island - a port in Charleston
1785-1861 - Answer-• Plantation state through antebellum period 1785-1861
o Large pop of free people of color, who were educated and skilled
o Largest crop was rice, cotton, and indigo
• Civil War:
o Fort Sumter (beginning of the war)
o War Dept. used Citadel Military Army as federal garrison
• Slow to recover from Civil War devastation but restored historical buildings to
reinvigorate economy
Population - Answer-128,000
