As part of the research for my latest novel, "Karma
Nation," my son Rishi and I traveled across the American South. My previous blogs
recorded our explorations of Houston, New Orleans and Atlanta. In this blog, I share
my impressions of Charleston, South Carolina.
Charleston is the epitome of Southern charm—a genteel,
laid-back city with friendly people who treat visitors with exceptional grace
and manners. In 2016, Conde Nast, the magazine for travelers, named it the “friendliest”
city in the entire world. In 2018, Travel+Leisure, another reputed magazine, awarded
it the Best City in America title for the sixth straight year.
Indeed, the recognitions are well-deserved. Blessed
with natural beauty, well-preserved history and a vibrant cultural life,
Charleston is a great place to visit or live in. We arrived in the city after
visiting Atlanta and the contrast could not be greater: Atlanta was a huge
modern city rushing into the future while Charleston took pride in preserving its
past. Dotted with centuries old churches and antebellum-period plantations, it
certainly introduced visitors to the charms of a bye-gone age.
One of our destinations in Charleston was the Old
Slave Mart Museum. Situated on a picturesque cobble-stoned street a few blocks
from the harbor, the museum, an erstwhile slave auction house, presented the
stories of the trade that originally established the city.
According to historians, at least 40% of all slaves
imported into America first landed in Charleston. By the middle of the 1700’s,
Charleston became the only major city in America with a majority-enslaved
population.
The Museum at one time contained a cook-house for
slaves, a barracoon (a jail for slaves) and even a slave morgue. Now, only the
auction area is preserved. The history of the slave trade, mementos of the
period and personal recollection of the individual slaves themselves line its
walls.
In 1807, Congress passed an act prohibiting the
importation of slaves. Yet, another trade took its place. Interstate slave
trade grew and Charleston became the center of that industry, until slavery’s
final abolition by President Lincoln. The institution of slavery implicated many—slave
traders, bankers, plantation owners, financiers, politicians, lawyers, shippers and even
slave insurance providers. These deep roots, and the difficulty of uprooting
them, bequeathed the state and the city with one of the most divisive pasts in
American history.
But the city is moving on. In 2015, the Confederate
flag was finally removed from the South Carolina State House. Last year, the city council of Charleston
officially apologized for the city’s role in the slave trade. More importantly,
the city is planning to build the $75 million International African American
Museum on land not far from the Old Slave Mart Museum. It promises to become
an important part of the fabric of the city and will go far to present an
aspect of American life that is not much exposed.
My son and I truly enjoyed our visit to this beautiful
city. The city and its people are beginning to fill in the missing parts of its
history and are making it available to everyone. It provides one more reason to
plan our next visit to this friendly and captivating city!
Mohan Ashtakala is the author of "Karma Nation", a literary romance. For more information, please visit:
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