A New State and Nation

A New State and Nation

Chapter 98-3.1 Explain the tensions between the Upcountry

and the Lowcountry of South Carolina, including their economic struggles after the Revolutionary War,

their disagreement over representation in the General Assembly, the location of the new capital, and the transformation of the state’s economy.

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How did the American Revolution stress the already poor relationship between the Low Country and the Up Country?

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Up Country vs Low CountryThe American Revolution

Made the already stressed stressed relationship even worse relationship even worse

Low Country Patriots Low Country Patriots fought Up Country Loyalists fought Up Country Loyalists Sometimes turning Sometimes turning neighbors and even family neighbors and even family members against each othermembers against each other

These tensions These tensions continued continued afterafter the Revolutionary the Revolutionary

War endedWar ended

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What caused most of the differences between the Low Country and the Up Country?

How did the Low Country view the Up Country settlers?

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Up Country vs Low CountryThe Economic Differences Caused most of the differences between the Up Country & the Low Country in SC

The first white settlers to move to the Up Country were traders and woodsmen

They were viewed by the Low Country elite as “uncivilized.”“uncivilized.”

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The Up Country “Folk”

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Up Country vs Low CountryUp Country Folk

Subsistence farmers Subsistence farmers who worked the land

A few few owned slavesowned slaves, but they did not have large plantations and large slave holdings Many worked their farms without the assistance of slave labor

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The People of the Low Country

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Up Country vs Low Country

The Low Country

The first area settled in the state

Dominated by the wealthy planter elite wealthy planter elite

Whose economic well Whose economic well being and social status being and social status depended on their slave depended on their slave holdings holdings

Eventually, the plantation owners plantation owners in this area grew wealthy (rich) from the export of rice and indigo.

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As a result of the American Revolution, what happened to South Carolina’s farms/fields?

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Economic issuesAll of South Carolina suffered

economically as a result of the war

During the war years:Fighting destroyed the countrysideSlaves, livestock and goods were taken by the BritishFields/farms were also damaged Fields/farms were also damaged from revenge actions between from revenge actions between loyalists and patriots, OR as a loyalists and patriots, OR as a result of supporting the armies result of supporting the armies camped nearby camped nearby The fields that had grown rice The fields that had grown rice before the war were damaged before the war were damaged beyond repairbeyond repairAfter the War: The economy was slow to improve

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As a result of the American Revolution…

1.What happened to South Carolina’s slave population?

2.2.What happened to South What happened to South Carolina’s cash crop market?Carolina’s cash crop market?

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Economic issuesThe slave population

Drastically decreasedDrastically decreasedBy the end of the war By the end of the war nearlynearly 25,000 slaves had been killed, 25,000 slaves had been killed, stolen, or escapedstolen, or escaped. This made rebuilding the damaged fields and growing new crops extremely difficult. Before the war: the Low the Low Country benefited from Country benefited from England’s subsidies, and Great England’s subsidies, and Great Britain provided SC a Britain provided SC a guaranteedguaranteed rice market rice marketAfter the war: the subsidies the subsidies were were gonegone Great Britain was lost as a Great Britain was lost as a trade partner trade partner

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Poor crop yields:

Planters’ debt:

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Economic issuesPoor crop yields

•Made it even more difficult to recover economically•When you don’t have a lot of When you don’t have a lot of crops to sell, you don’t get a crops to sell, you don’t get a lot of moneylot of money to repay debt.to repay debt.•The planters owed money to The planters owed money to creditors in England creditors in England •Which they had borrowed Which they had borrowed before the war and they before the war and they could not pay it back could not pay it back because they weren’t because they weren’t making money off of their making money off of their crops.crops.

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Commandeered goods:

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Economic issues

During the war the Armies from both side took food and property from the local people.

Commandeered goodsProperty that was lost Property that was lost to either army and not to either army and not repaid/replacedrepaid/replaced

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What plant helped South Carolina recover economically when it became a cash crop in the 1800s?

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Economic issuesThe American Government

Was also unable to pay for the goods it Was also unable to pay for the goods it had commandeered during the fighting had commandeered during the fighting from the citizens of the state from the citizens of the state

Economic problems persisted until the early 1800s when cotton became a new cash crop.

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For what 3 reasons did the Low Country have a greater influence on the SC government?

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Economic issues

South Carolina’s early yearsThere was a larger white population living in the Up Country1.Most of the political power rested in the Low Country

2.2.The Low Country had The Low Country had greater representation in the greater representation in the legislature legislature

3.3.Charleston was the capital Charleston was the capital – Which gave the

Charleston elite a greater influence on the government

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What was a major complaint that the Up Country had about having the state capital in Charleston?

To where was the capital moved?

What did the Low Country get to keep in the compromise to move the capital?

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Economic issuesUp Country people didn’t like Up Country people didn’t like having to travel so far to having to travel so far to present issues to the present issues to the legislaturelegislature. In 1786, the Low Country compromised and the capital was moved to the newly established city of Columbia.

It was in the center of the state and equally accessible to both regions

As a compromise for moving the capital, the Low Country the Low Country maintained its majority in the maintained its majority in the legislature. legislature.

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Economic issues

This helped ease but did not eliminate political tensions between the Up Country and the Low Country.

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