South Carolina

The "Palmetto State" earned her name (and her flag) when the palmetto log walls of Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island were strong enough not to collapse under British bombardment in 1776. South Carolina ratified the US Constitution on May 23, 1788 and was the first state to secede on December 20, 1860. The state mottos are Dum spiro spero, "While I breathe, I hope" and Animis opibusque parati, or "Prepared in mind and resources."