Slave Cabins at Boone Hall Plantation. (July 2000) Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 15:19 Dec. 7, 2017.
The cash crop economy of South Carolina relied on the slavery of African-Americans.
Overview
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| Advertisement for the sale of 23 slaves. “Auction Sale of Negros” located in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University. |
- Slavery
Learn more about the practice of slavery in America and around the world. - Slavery Timeline
See key events in the history of slavery in America. - Slaves in South Carolina: 1525-1865
Read more about the selling of slaves, the life of a slave, and black revolts in South Carolina. - African Americans at the Nathaniel Russell House
Find out more about the lives of the eighteen enslaved African Americans living in this Charleston home. - The Colonial Black Experience
Listen to Dr. Walter Edgar describe how slaves were used to grow South Carolina's wealth. - The Middle Passage
The Middle Passage was the boat trip from Africa and the Americans that enslaved Africans were forced to take.
Culture
- What is Gullah?
Learn about the rich Gullah culture that continues in Charleston and the Lowcountry. - A Year in the Life
Read the entries from a plantation account book to learn more about the life on a plantation. - Slave Quarters
See pictures of slave quarters on the McLeod Plantation on James Island. These buildings were 20 feet by 12 feet wooden structures. - Slave Work Songs
Slave work gangs sang call-and-response songs to regulate their movements, talk about their feelings, and make comments about their masters and overseers.
Pieces of History
- Charleston Slave Passes
In Charleston, slaves needed permission notes to be away from their master’s property. - Slave Collar
Slave collars made of iron were used to punish and identify slaves who had tried to run away. - Ran Off
Read a newspaper advertisement from September 18, 1762, offering a reward for a runaway slave.
