Colonial South Carolina CHAPTER 2

Essential Question How did South Carolina develop during the colonial period in comparison with other colonies?

Settlement and Change LESSON 1

The English Establish Carolina In 1629, English King Charles I gave Sir Robert Heath a charter to explore land south of Jamestown and west to the Pacific Ocean. The area was first named “Carolana,” (Latin for Charles). King Charles II later changed named the settlement Carolina, in honor of his father.

Map of Carolana

Edward Hyde, earl of Claredon George Monck, duke of Albemarle William Craven, earl of Craven Anthony Ashley Cooper, earl of Shaftesbury John Berkley, Baron Berkeley of Stratton Sir William Berkeley, governor of Virginia Sir George Carteret, Treasurer of the Navy Sir John Colleton of Barbados Eight noblemen, known as the Lords Proprietors, received a charter from King Charles II, giving them the power to rule Carolina. The Lords Proprietors

To finance the colony, they tried to collect an annual rent, called a quitrent, from settlers. But they had a hard time getting the money. None of the Lords Proprietors ever went to Carolina. Early efforts at colonizing failed. Eventually, all the Proprietors lost interest in Carolina, except one—Anthony Ashley Cooper. Carolina became a Proprietary Colony. The Lords Proprietors (cont.)

Governing a Diverse Population The Lords Proprietors’ controlled the colony through a Governor and Grand Council, which included representatives of the proprietors. The first settlers were Englishmen who emigrated from the British Colony of Barbados and they brought a well-developed slave system. A diverse population of settlers came from France, Switzerland, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland as well. Diverse religions arrived, including French Huguenots and Jews.

Attracting Settlers Lord Ashley was able to convince investors to fund a new settlement at Port Royal. 100 settlers were recruited. Three ships, the Albemarle, the Port Royal, and the Carolina set sale, stopping in Ireland and Barbados on the way. Two of the ships bound for Carolina sank or ran aground; the Carolina, and The Three Brothers, were the only ships to arrive safely.

A Permanent Settlement Charles Town was Carolina’s first permanent settlement. Its location high above the Ashley River provided protection Charles Town moved to Oyster Point (between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers). Streets were laid out in a grid with zoned land. Charles Town, or Charleston, became the capital of the colony, one of the five largest cities and largest ports in the colonies.

The Barbados Connection Barbados was England’s most successful colony in the West Indies. In the 1640s, settlers realized that Barbados had the perfect climate to grow sugar cane. It became their cash crop. Settlers began to use slaves to grow sugar cane and used strict slave codes to control the slaves. Many settlers moved from Barbados to South Carolina to find more economic opportunity and to escape overcrowding.

Settlers from Barbados made up nearly 50% of Carolina’s population Map of Barbados

Africans in Carolina The African slaves brought by the Barbadians had a rich heritage of music, dancing, wood carving, story telling and folk medicine, and worship. Additional slaves were forced through the Middle Passage from the west coast of Africa by way of the West Indies. These Africans brought a knowledge of cultivating rice, and tending cattle. The Africans came from many nations or tribes and spoke different languages. Once in America, they began to create a common language called Gullah.

The Gullah Culture The Gullah people live on the Sea Islands along the coast. “Gullah” is the name for the language along the sea islands. It is a mix of several African languages and English. They knew more about growing rice than the plantation owners. Since their knowledge of rice was so great, plantation owners assigned daily tasks instead of close supervision.