THIS EVERYDAY LIFE

RICE. Rice as we pointed out earlier was a mainstay in the economic well being of Colonial Coastal Georgia and South Carolina. These two areas accounted for the vast majority of rice production in the entire colonies. South Carolina was the production leader with Georgia being a close second. Because of its African origins and the enslaved Africans that produced it, rice was referred to as “Black Gold”. In certain areas of South Carolina it was referred to as “Carolina Gold”. No matter the designation crops were brought to fruition by enslaved Africans. As was pointed out earlier Georgia started it origins having a no-slavery law that was instituted by the founder James Oglethorpe. It was Oglethorpe’s intention for the Colony to consist of European farmers owning small parcels of 50 acre farms. But the Europeans just could not cope with the climate and environment of the Southern Coastline. Beside the original crops and produce (indigo and silk) like the residents were just not conducive to the area. Seeing how well South Carolina was prospering with rice production using slave labor, Georgia’s no-slavery law soon fell by the wayside. In 1750 slavery was introduced into Georgia and the colony flourished like it never had before. As a matter of fact many fortunes were made in the Coastal Georgia region as a result of rice production. Gone for the most part were the small yeoman farms in the coastal regions owned by European settlers. Large rice plantations became the order of the day. Wasn’t to much Oglethorpe could do about it considering the fact that he himself owned a slave plantation in South Carolina and the fact that the original grant had been ceded to the crown, which made fertile ground for the introduction of slavery. It goes without saying the slaves were an integral part of the production end of the operation but what has been overlooked by many is the fact that imported Africans into South Carolina brought with them the knowledge of a more advanced Agricultural and Technological production technique(s) than possessed by the Europeans. I think it is safe of say that without their labor and knowledge even the rice industry in the two colonies would have been a failure. It is notable but not telling that these two areas witnessed the absolute production of rice as a commodity immediately after the Civil War. Some scholars attributed this fact to extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, others to the unwillingness of Africans to toil in the swamps without the mandatory coercion that came with slavery and still others the destruction that came with the Civil War. No matter the reason the demise of rice production in the South Carolina and Georgia Coastal areas brought economic hardships to the areas. These hardships were suffered by both Africans and Whites alike. Coming later – Rice production exclusively in the South Carolina Colony and the Georgia Colony. Although there were vast similarities in rice production in both Colonies (there were plantations owned by singular persons in both) there were still some differences in how the two colonies approached employee relations and the actual production.