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In the decades before the Civil War, Charleston, S.C., enjoyed recognition as the center of scientific activity in the South. By 1850, only three cities in the United States--Philadelphia, Boston and New York--exceeded Charleston in natural history studies, and the city boasted an excellent museum of natural history.
Science, Race, and Religion in the American South examines the scientific activities and contributions of six naturalists who comprised the Charleston circle: John Bachman, Edmund Ravenel, John Edwards Holbrook, Lewis R. Gibbes, Francis S. Holmes and John McCrady. Bound together in spirit by their devotion to Southern culture, their commitment to advancing sciences in their city and region and their interest in natural history, the Charleston circle constituted a dynamic community of productive, respected scientists in a region that conventionally has been dismissed as largely devoid of scientific interests.
In telling the story of the Charleston naturalists, UGA emeritus professor Lester Stephens details their scientific contributions and explores the regional circumstances that hindered their work.
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