This episode of ETV Classics tells the story of how rice began to be cultivated in South Carolina in the late 1600s, and by the time of the American Revolution, it created the largest concentration of wealth in the American colonies.
Before the American Revolution, the 300-mile coastline of South Carolina was known as the "Kingdom of Rice" and Charleston considered the richest city in Colonial America, and indeed "Carolina Gold" was the favored rice in Europe and Asia. This documentary includes a clip demonstrating the process in which rice is grown and harvested.
With the knowledge brought by the slaves, planters began using tidal irrigation, employing a series of dikes and dams to control the flow of water into rice fields. In 1839, Georgetown alone produced half of America's Rice. The Allstons and the Manigaults were wealthy plantation owners and the documentary is enlivened by frequent use of their letters and writings.
From May until November, plantation owners moved further inland, to escape malaria and cholera. The work of the slaves in the rice fields kept them immersed in the swampy waters, and except for a few slaves accompanying the plantation owners to the beach, most were confined to the risks of malaria and cholera. Life on the plantation could be extremely hard, marginally better if the enslaved individual had desired trade skills. Emancipation, hurricanes, and the emergence of more mechanized means of cultivating rice in Texas and Louisiana crippled the rice economy in South Carolina. Plantations were seized by banks or the U.S. government when their cash-strapped owners could not pay their taxes. After the war, many properties were purchased and preserved by wealthy northerners, some receiving conservation status.
Side Notes:
- Where to find Carolina Gold Rice.
