Few American cities are as steeped in the history of the country as Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston was one of the first colonies founded by the English, bringing with it settlers, ideas- and slaves. Charleston was on the front lines of the American Revolution. And it was the site of the first battle of the Civil War, as Confederate troops fired upon their brothers. Today, it is one of the great metropolises of the South- prosperous, cosmopolitan, but never free from the ugly legacy of oppression and bigotry. Just as in the past, Charleston is sure to be one of the front lines of this latest conflict that will define a new era of American history.