History of The Citadel

Checkerboard Quadrangle of Padgett Thomas Barracks

The History of The Citadel began in the early 1820s with the formation of a militia and state arsenal in response to an alleged slave revolt in 1822.[1] By 1842 the arsenal grew into an academy, with the Legislature establishing it as the South Carolina Military Academy. Cadets played a key role in the Civil War by assisting in the battalion firing upon a federal ship three months before the war began. Many Confederate officers attended the school.[2] Renamed in 1910 as The Citadel, the school's academic reputation grew. After moving the campus near Hampton Park in 1922, the college has grown substantially. In 1969, graduate student Maxine Hudson became the first woman to earn a degree from The Citadel.[3] The Citadel saw the graduation of its first Black student, Charles D. Foster in 1970, 16 years after legal segregation ended in public schools.[4] Following a rocky journey, The Citadel graduated its first female Cadet, future congresswoman Nancy Mace, in 1999. The school has produced many military officers, business, and political leaders throughout its history.

  1. ^ "The Citadel".
  2. ^ "The Citadel's early story".
  3. ^ "First Woman Graduate of The Citadel - the Citadel - Charleston, SC".
  4. ^ "Charles D. Foster - the Citadel - Charleston, SC".