1. 8-5.5 The Textile Industry in SC

2. Post Civil War Industry
US industry expands rapidly after the Civil War
Oil and coal found out west
Leads to growth in steel and oil industries
Transcontinental Railroad constructed due to expansion
Advancements in meat packing and grain processing plants lead to better transportation of food
Immigrants provided labor

3. Impact on SC
SC was largely unaffected by postwar economic growth and industrial boom
Conservative Democrats did not support the growth of industry
Focused more on reviving the old South
Did not attract large numbers of immigrants looking for work
Postwar Railroad boom did affect SC
Major cities grew as a result of their location on routes (Columbia)
Columbia becomes major regional railroad hub
Established time zones and standard time

4. Growth of the Textile Industry
Took hold in SC
Started in the Upstate
Modeled after New England mills
Within 15 years, mills were located in the Midlands and Low Country
By 1910, SC was the second largest textile producing state in the nation

5. The Creation of Textile Mills
How did it happen?
Ready supply of raw material (excess cotton)
Changing attitudes about the development of industry
Fast-flowing rivers and streams in the Upcountry to power the mills
Ready supply of workers
Poor farmers who could no longer make a living from the land
Provided homes, schools, churches, and stores to workers

9. Who Worked in the Mills?
African Americans were excluded from textile mill labor
Mill workers were called “lint heads”
Women and children
They were paid less than men
Children were very useful because small fingers made it easier to repair machines, but led to more accident

11. Life in the Mill
Worked long hours for low pay (1/2 of what other states paid)
Worked from 6 am to 6 pm
Governor Tillman reduced working hours to 66 per week
Workers suffered from lung diseases from breathing in cotton fibers
Lung cancer
“Brown Lung Disease”

12. Life in the Mills Work place accidents were common
Working conditions depended on the generosity of mill owners and economic conditions
Workers were unable to organize successful Unions. They were often fired if they protested.

15. The Phosphate Industry
Phosphate: mineral used for fertilizer
Found near Charleston and Beaufort (brought wealth to those areas)
Northern mills came to SC because of cheap, non-Union labor
Companies started going out of business when phosphate deposits were found in Florida
After the 1893 hurricane, Beaufort’s phosphate mining never recovered and the phosphate industry disappeared.

16. The Hurricane of 1886 Another natural disaster struck Charleston
A hurricane hit the coast in 1886, severely damaging Charleston and the surrounding area.
Between the earthquake and the hurricane, rice plantations were damaged to the point they could not be repaired.
This brought the end to rice as a cash crop.
Tobacco is introduced as the new cash crop.