Colonial South Carolina

South Carolina in Colonial Times Before there was a South Carolina, there was a Carolina. Carolina was made up of present day North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Let’s take a look at map of colonial Carolina.

The colony of South Carolina had a diverse population from the earliest colonial times. Each group made a significant contribution to the culture and character of South Carolina.

English Colonists The English were the first to establish a permanent settlement. The king of England gave the land to eight Lords Proprietors in payment of a debt. This land became known as a colony. Proprietors are people who own something.

Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper was one of the eight Lords Proprietors Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper was one of the eight Lords Proprietors. The Ashley and the Cooper are two rivers near Charleston named for him.

The Lords Proprietors commissioned the writing of the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina which established representative government and religious freedom.

The Lords Proprietors attracted new settlers to the colony by offering them free land.

Many of the Englishmen who settled in the Carolina colony came from Barbados. In Barbados, these men established plantations, or large farms.

Slave labor was used to keep the plantation running Slave labor was used to keep the plantation running. Crops, like rice and indigo, that were grown and sold, made the plantation owners and the colony wealthy. South Carolina became one of the richest of the 13 colonies.

Huguenots