LIFE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR

Growth Brings Change  South Carolina was mostly rural during the time between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.  This time was know as the Antebellum period (before the Civil War).  Farms and small communities were spreading into the Midlands and Up Country.

Six Different Classes  During this time, there were six different classes, or economic groups, that lived throughout the state:  Elite  Middle  Lower  Independent farmers  Free African Americans  Enslaved African Americans

Elite Class  Jobs/Occupations:  very rich class  Sold cash crops such as cotton and rice  Political leaders  Education  Children were taught by private tutors at home or attended private schools  Homes  Owned large plantations with lots of land

Middle Class  Jobs/Occupations  Merchants, doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers Merchants – buy and sell goods  Owned a few slaves  Education  Children were taught to read and write  Homes  Most lived in cities and towns

Lower Class  Jobs/Occupations  Had very few jobs Subsistence farmers  Education  Uneducated Children were needed at home to do work  Homes  Often lived on someone else’s land and farmed enough to feed their families

Independent farmers  Jobs/Occupations  Owned small farms and did the work themselves  Education  Some children may have been educated at home  Homes  Many lived in the upstate

Free African Americans  Jobs/Occupations  Some worked as carpenters, ironsmiths, or brick masons  Had to carry freedom papers with them to prove they were free  Were not treated equally

Free African Americans  Education  May have been educated at home  were no public schools  Homes  Most stayed near larger cities to find jobs

Enslaved African Americans  Jobs/Occupations  Forced to work and were not paid for it  Worked on plantations  Worked from sun-up to sun down  Had very few rights

Enslaved African Americans  Education  It was illegal for slaves to learn to read or write because their masters were afraid they would escape.

Enslaved African Americans  Homes  Lived on plantations in a one or two room cabin  Watched over by an overseer  Were not allowed to travel without written permission  Families were often divided when one member was sold to another slave owner