Figure 1.-- |
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The French and Spanish tried to found a colony in the Carolinas during the 16th century. The English also failed in an attempt to found a colony on Ronanoke Island in what is now North Carolina. The English finally succeeded. A colony was established at Albemarlke Point (1670). The colony was established on the basis of a grant given by Charles II to friends after the Restoration. The capital was moved to Charleston (1680). South Carolina was the first colony established with slavery as part of the constitution. North Carolina was separated from South Carolina (1713). Many ofthe early settlers came from Barbados. Barbados was an important Caribbean sugar island with the economy based almost entirely on slavery. There were an estimated 50,000 slaves on Barbados. It was this system of industrial slavery that the planters from Barbados brought to South Carolina. South Carolina was not suitable for industrial sugar production. The planters tried a variety of crops, including indigo and tobacco. Conditions in the South Carolina lowlands did not prove suitable for crops familiar with the settlers. The slaves began growing a familiar crop for their own sustinence--rice. The planters quickly adopted this unfamilar crop as suitable for local conditions. It was, however, a labor intensive crop requiring the olanters to import more blacks. Many planters in South Carolina were investors in the Royal African Company, thus they benefitted from both the slave trade and the use of slave labor. Solomon Island off Charleston was set up to house the arriving slaves and to prepare them for sale in Charleston's important slave market. Normally large numbers of blacks died during the voyage, usually 1/4 to 1/3 of those embarked. Those that survived were often in poor condition. On Solomon Island they were fed and able to reperate. The most valuable slaves were well-built grown youths under 20 years who could labor for many years. When ready for sale they were taken to Charleston and oiled so their skin would glisten to emphasize good health. So many slaves were imported into South Carolina that that by the 1720s that the black population outnumbered the white population 2 to 1. It is no accident that given the importance of slavery to South Carolina planters that when slavery came to be criticised in the 19th century that it was South Carolina that was the first state ti seceed from the Union.
The French and Spanish tried to found a colony in the Carolinas during the 16th century. The English also failed in an attempt to found a colony on Ronanoke Island in what is now North Carolina.
South Carolina was the first colony established with slavery as part of the constitution. North Carolina was separated from South Carolina (1713). Many ofthe early settlers came from Barbados. Barbados was an important Caribbean sugar island with the economy based almost entirely on slavery. There were an estimated 50,000 slaves on Barbados. It was this system of industrial slavery that the planters from Barbados brought to South Carolina.
South Carolina was not suitable for industrial sugar production. The planters tried a variety of crops, including indigo and tobacco. Conditions in the South Carolina lowlands did not prove suitable for crops familiar with the settlers. The slaves began growing a familiar crop for their own sustinence--rice. It was thus the slaves themselves that provided the technology for South Carolina's first important crop.
The planters quickly adopted this unfamilar crop as suitable for local conditions. It was, however, a labor intensive crop requiring the olanters to import more blacks. The system of industrial slavery had a profound impact on South Carolina. Under it there was very little opportunity for blacks to gain their freedom. Thus proportionately there were far few free blacks in South Carolina than there were in the North or even in Virginia. Also there was less personal contact between the slaves and their owners. Without those personal ties, the work regimes and punishments used to enforce discipline were often much more horific than with slave owners who there slaves personally. Under industrial slaery, an overseer would be employed to enforce the task system. A slave would be assigned a specific task each day, such as to hoe a certain area of ground. Under this system slaves in many instances would be virtually worked to death. This varied from plantation to plantation, but apparently some planters worked out that brutality achieved the maximum effort from their slaves and that once they expired that more slaves could simply be purchased to take their place. Such was the calculation made on Caribbean sugar islands.
Many planters in South Carolina were investors in the Royal African Company, thus they benefitted from both the slave trade and the use of slave labor.
Solomon Island off Charleston was set up to house the arriving slaves and to prepare them for sale in Charleston's important slave market. Normally large numbers of blacks died during the voyage, usually 1/4 to 1/3 of those embarked. Those that survived were often in poor condition. On Solomon Island they were fed and able to reperate. The most valuable slaves were well-built grown youths under 20 years who could labor for many years. When ready for sale they were taken to Charleston and oiled so their skin would glisten to emphasize good health.
So many slaves were imported into South Carolina that that by the 1720s that the black population outnumbered the white population 2 to 1.
It is no accident that given the importance of slavery to South Carolina planters that when slavery came to be criticised in the 19th century that it was South Carolina that was the first state ti seceed from the Union.
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