Page 16 →4 Colonial Landscape
Generalized Patterns of Colonial Agriculture
European settlers and enslaved Africans introduced new forms of agriculture and crops to the colonial landscape. Rice became the most important commercial plantation crop and made planters rich and Charles Towne a major colonial city. Rice was grown near the mouths of several major rivers and planters used the effect of the tide on the rivers to flood and drain fields. Indigo, used to make a deep blue dye for clothing, was the second most valuable export behind rice. While indigo was not quite as valuable as rice, the two crops complemented each other because they were grown on different land. The production and export of these two valuable crops relied on the forced labor of enslaved people, who brought their cultural knowledge and agricultural expertise from Africa. Wheat was grown for local use, and by the 1760s the colony was exporting flour to the Caribbean. Tobacco, a Back Country crop, was harder to sell because it was far from Charles Towne.
It is possible that rice first came to South Carolina in 1685 from Madagascar. Colonists near Charles Towne grew the crop successfully by 1690. Production peaked in 1850 at more than 150 million pounds of rice annually. The Civil War and Emancipation, as well as hurricanes, pests, and reduced soil fertility led to the crop’s eventual decline. Remnants of rice production can still be found throughout the Lowcountry. Pictured here are rice trunks used to manage the flow of tidal waters in and out of rice fields.
Page 17 →Township System, 1731-1765
The Township System was created to encourage settlement in the Upstate, known then as the Back Country. A ring of settlements in the hinterland also could offer protection to coastal settlements from Native American groups. Each town was at least 20,000 acres and could be further subdivided into 50 acre household plots. The plan was moderately successful and brought Scotch-Irish, German, Swiss, and French immigrants from abroad and elsewhere in the colonies, such as from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Primarily farmers, they grew subsistence crops but also produced some wheat and tobacco for cash sale.
The Cherokee Boundary marks the conflict over land between the Cherokee people and the European settlers in the Upstate. Displacement of Native American peoples in South Carolina—including the Cherokee, Congaree, Catawba, Creek, Siouan, and Cusabo—occurred throughout the period of colonial settlement and subsequent nationwide removal period of the 1800s. After the Cherokee lost their land in South Carolina, they were later forced to march the Trail of Tears.
Other settlements also sprang up across South Carolina. Some like Ninety Six were located along Indian trade paths while others were at strategic ferry points along rivers. Ninety Six became an important battle site during the Revolutionary War, changing hands between Continentals and Loyalists. The traces of several colonial-era roads are still visible in the landscape as shown here.
Page 18 →Colonial Roads and Revolutionary War Engagements
Colonial Roads, ca. 1770-1780
The Revolutionary War caused upheaval in the Colonial period. South Carolina had more battles and military encounters than any other colony, but the major battles of the Revolutionary War took place in the northern colonies. Battles at Camden, Kings Mountain, and Cowpens were important to the outcome of the war.
South Carolina’s population reached about 180,000 before the Revolutionary War. As more people settled the Back Country and planted tradable crops like tobacco and wheat, trading centers such as Camden, Ninety Six, Cheraw, and Congaree emerged in the interior. A series of roads was developed to connect these places together and to Charles Towne. Rivers were also important means for moving goods.
Revolutionary War Engagements
Dozens of Revolutionary War battles of various sizes occurred in South Carolina. Among these was the Battle of Hobkirk’s Hill in the Camden area. Surrounded today by homes, the battlefield was the site of a British victory in 1781 over a small army commanded by Nathanael Greene. Re-enactors in British military attire are shown here at the site.