3-2.7

It Is Essential For Students To Know:

• English settlers from Barbados brought with them the knowledge of the plantation system which was dependent on slave labor.
• These settlers brought their slaves. Captives, chained together below decks for weeks on very crowded and unsanitary ships, These slaves were brought from West Africa.
• At first, enslaved Africans were brought to Barbados and then to Charleston, but as time changed, the slaves were brought directly to Charleston.
• Slaves were valuable to the wealthy lowcountry planters because they knew how to grow rice which became central to the plantation economy and wealth of South Carolina.
• The institution of slavery came to dominate the culture of the lowcountry and eventually the culture of all of South Carolina.
• African slaves also made significant contributions to the culture of South Carolina.
• The slave trade included slave auctions which were the primary way of selling the enslaved people who arrived on the ships from Africa. Slaves were inspected by potential buyers and sold to the highest bidder.
• The daily life of the enslaved people differed widely from plantation to plantation or house to house depending on the benevolence of the master. The daily life of slaves included hard work and long hours in the fields that benefited the plantation owner, not the worker. Despite their often brutal circumstances, the enslaved Africans tried to keep the traditions of their homeland and succeeded in many cases. Their ingenuity and desire to communicate with fellow slaves who spoke many different African tongues led to the development of a common language.
• The blending of African traditions led to the Gullah culture which has its own music, stories and art forms, such as sweetgrass basket weaving.
• The enslaved Africans also brought food and techniques of cooking food to our state.
• We enjoy okra, yams, hoppin’ john and other foods and the technique of frying food because of influences from Africa.
• Though mostly peaceful, enslaved Africans sometimes practiced acts of resistance against white authority. The effort to keep their African traditions alive was a silent statement of resistance.
• Enslaved people could also sabotage tools, work slowly, or in more drastic situations, run away or rebel.
• There were a few examples of violence such as the Stono Rebellion. This rebellion was quickly put down, participating slaves were executed and a new set of laws was passed in South Carolina to control slaves.

It Is Not Essential For Students to Know:

• It is not essential for students to know the details of growing rice and indigo or the Denmark Vesey conspiracy.