South Carolina Colony Facts

Origin

The region known today as South Carolina was originally inhabited by various Native American Indian tribes. After Christopher Columbus made his First Voyage of Discovery (1492), Spain and Portugal agreed to the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494). This divided the Americas between the two nations, and South Carolina was in the territory under Spanish control.

Early European Settlements

The first European settlement in South Carolina was established by the Spanish at San Miguel de Guadalupe in 1526. However, it was short-lived and abandoned within a year.

A second settlement was established by the French in 1562 on Parris Island. They called it Charlesfort. This settlement also failed.

The Spanish returned in 1565 and 1566, establishing Santa Elena on Parris Island and building Fort San Felipe. However, hostilities with Indians and attacks from English Privateers led the Spanish to abandon the island in 1587.

Meanwhile, English explorers followed the Spanish westward to North America. Some were in search of the fabled Northwest Passage, while others sought to raid the Spanish Treasure Fleet. These expeditions led to the establishment of the “Lost Colony” on Roanoke Island, which was ultimately abandoned, and the settlers disappeared between 1587 and 1590.

English Settlement Begins

England was finally able to establish permanent settlements and colonies, starting with Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1620), and Massachusetts (1629). The same year that Massachusetts was founded, King James I claimed the territory south of Virginia, named it “Carolana,” and issued a patent to Sir Robert Heath. Attempts to settle Carolana failed, partly due to the English Civil War (1642–1649), and Heath eventually lost his claim.

In 1649, Parliament abolished the monarchy and executed King Charles I, thereby ending the Civil War. His son, the future Charles II, fled to France for safety. For the next 11 years, Oliver Cromwell ruled England and its growing empire.

Four years later, in 1653, the settlement of Carolina finally started. Settlers from Virginia moved across the Nansemond Valley and the Dismal Swamp into present-day North Carolina, and settled north of Albemarle Sound between the Chowan River and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Proprietary Era Begins

In 1658, Oliver Cromwell died, and his government started to collapse. English nobles, known as “Royalists,” helped restore the monarchy, and Charles II ascended to the throne as King of England in 1660. This event is known as the “Stuart Restoration.”

Soon after, English exploration of the Carolinas resumed. A handful of settlements were established and failed, primarily in the Albemarle Region.

In 1663, Charles II sought to reward supporters of the Crown and to expand English colonization in the Americas. He granted a charter for the Carolina Colony to a group of men known as the “Lords Proprietors,” who were led by Anthony Ashley Cooper. The Proprietors proceeded to develop guidelines for the colony’s government and establish counties.

William Berkeley, the Governor of Virginia, took steps to organize the Albemarle Colony and appointed William Drummond as the Governor in 1664. Soon after, competing companies negotiated with the Proprietors to establish a settlement in Carolina. This led to the establishment of a settlement Cape Fear River, near the mouth of Old Town Creek. It was called “Charles Town.” The settlement struggled and was abandoned in 1667, around the same time the “Dreadful Hurricane of 1667” hit the region.

Charles Town

Finally, in 1669, Anthony Ashley Cooper convinced the other Lords Proprietors to finance another attempt at establishing a settlement in the southern portion of Carolina near Port Royal. An expedition was organized and sent to Carolina, where it established a new “Charles Town” in 1670 near the mouths of the Ashley River and the Cooper River. This became the first permanent English settlement in South Carolina, and was eventually known simply as “Charleston.”

North and South Divided

From 1670 to 1691, Albemarle (North) and Charles Town (South) were both governed by the laws established by the Lords Proprietors. However, they had separate governors, councils, and assemblies. 

During this time, the Albemarle government was plagued by corrupt leaders, while the Charleston government struggled to deal with a faction known as the “Goose Creek Men,” who clashed with the Proprietors.

North and South United

In the summer of 1689, the inhabitants of Albemarle arrested their Governor, Seth Sothel, who responded by going to Charles Town and seizing control of the Governor’s office there. 

This created a crisis for the Proprietors. They countered Sothel by suspending the government framework that allowed Sothel to take control and then appointing Philip Ludwell as “Governor of Carolina Province,” effectively uniting the colony under one government official for the first time.

A new office, Deputy Governor, was created to oversee the Albemarle settlement, and a new legislature, the Commons House of Assembly, was established. The Governor of Carolina and the Commons were based in Charles Town.

It was around this time that the two regions started to be referred to as “North Carolina” and “South Carolina.”

The Split

In 1710, another political crisis, Cary’s Rebellion, led the Proprietors to appoint a Governor for North Carolina. Due to the unrest caused by the Rebellion, Edward Hyde was not sworn in until 1712. Most historians consider this to be the point at which North Carolina and South Carolina officially split.

Transition to the Royal Period

For much of the next decade, the Carolinas were plagued by conflicts with Native Americans, notably the Tuscarora War (1711–1715) and the Yamasee War (1715–1717). Then, in 1718, pirates blockaded and harassed Charleston.

During this time, the Proprietors were largely absent and hands-off. When rumors spread that Spanish forces were threatening to attack Charleston, the Goose Creek faction and its allies seized control of the government and installed James Moore Jr., who had been elected by the people as Acting Governor.

The Proprietors agreed to cede control to the provincial government and acknowledged Moore’s authority. The Commons responded by petitioning the Crown to take control of South Carolina. The Crown agreed and appointed Francis Nicholson as Governor of South Carolina in 1721.

Over the next eight years, the Crown purchased the shares of the colony from seven of the eight Proprietors for £2,500 each. In 1729, the Proprietors surrendered the charter, completing South Carolina’s transition from a Proprietary Colony to a Royal Colony.

Government

From 1663 to 1712, North Carolina, or Albemarle Province, was part of the Carolina Colony. The charters issued to Carolina applied to North Carolina and South Carolina. When the colony was established, the Lords Proprietors intended it to be a single colony with a unified government. Over time, the geographic and economic differences between the regions created a need for separate governments, leading to the division of Carolina into two colonies with separate governments.

1663 Carolina Charter

Date Granted — King Charles II granted the charter for the Carolina Colony on March 4, 1663.

Recipients of the Charter — The charter was granted to eight men, who are collectively known as the Lords Proprietors.

1. Edward Hyde, the 1st Earl of Clarendon.
2. George Monck, the 1st Duke of Albemarle.
3. William Craven, the 1st Earl of Craven.
4. Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.
5. John Berkeley, the 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton.
6. Sir William Berkeley.
7. Sir George Carteret.
8. Sir John Colleton.

First Government — The charter granted the Lords Proprietors the authority to defend the colony, appoint public officials, establish courts, and establish towns. Under the charter, Carolina was free to govern itself as long as its laws were based on English law at the time, and were approved by the “consent of the free people there.”

The charter itself did not specify the structure of the government, but this was outlined by the Lords Proprietors in their Declaration and Proposals, which were issued after the charter was granted.

The charter granted the inhabitants the right to conduct trade and stipulated that customs duties were to be paid, in accordance with the Navigation Acts. It also granted religious freedom.

In 1664, Sir William Berkeley, the Governor of Virginia, organized a government for the Albemarle District in the northern part of the colony. He appointed William Drummond as the Governor. 

In 1665, John Yeamans received a commission as the Governor of Clarendon. However, the Clarendon settlement did not prosper and was abandoned in 1667.

In 1670, Yeamans appointed William Sayle as the first Governor of Charles Town.

Type of Charter and Colony — Since the charter was granted to a group, it was a Proprietary Charter, which classified Carolina as a Proprietary Colony.

Key Provisions of the 1663 Charter

1. The Lords Proprietors were identified and given permission to establish a colony in “parts of America not yet cultivated or planted, and only inhabited by some barbarous people, who have no knowledge of Almighty God.”
2. The charter was granted to the Lords Proprietors because they intended to help enlarge the Kingdom of England and spread Christianity.
3. The charter gave the Proprietors broad powers to enact laws, enforce them, and impose penalties. However, all laws had to conform to English law.
4. The Proprietors were allowed to designate authority to “deputies, lieutenants, judges, justices, magistrates, officers and members” and were allowed to choose them on their own.
5. The charter did not require a General Assembly.
6. Religious freedom was allowed for people who did not conform to the Church of England.

Declaration and Proposals of the Lord Proprietor of Carolina

The Declaration and Proposals were finalized by the Lords Proprietors on August 25, 1663. The key points were:

1. The colony would be established on the Charles River, near Cape Fear.
2. The colonists were permitted to fortify the entrance to the river.
3. The colonists were instructed to identify 13 people. From them, the Lords Proprietors would choose a Governor and Governor’s Council. The Council would have six members.
4. A General Assembly was authorized to make laws, which had to be approved by the Lords Proprietors.
5. Freedom of religion was established.
6. A modified version of the Headright System was established. Indentured servants were granted land when their contracts were completed. Men who owned a musket were to be granted 50 acres of land. Women were to be granted 30 acres. Men who did not provide a musket were to be given 10 acres.
7. Taxes were set at one-half penny for every acre and were to be used to build courthouses and public meeting houses.

Concessions and Agreements of the Lords Proprietors

In 1665, a group of English immigrants from Barbados, led by Major William Yeamans, wanted to settle in Carolina. The Lords Proprietors worked out an agreement with Yeamans known as the “Concessions and Agreements,” which applied to the entire Carolina Colony and was intended to encourage immigration. The Concessions and Agreements made modifications to the 1663 Declaration and Proposals, including:

• The establishment of three counties — “Countye of Clarendine the County of Albermarle and the County which latter is to bee to the southward or westward of Cape Romania all within the Province aforesaid.” The third county was eventually called Craven County.
• There was to be a Governor for each county, and the Governor had the authority to appoint a Governor’s Council of six to 12 members.
• Each county was instructed to keep accurate and organized records of public affairs. Land transactions were required to include oaths of at least two witnesses.
• All government officials were required to swear an Oath of Loyalty to the Crown. Freemen had to swear an Oath of Loyalty to the Crown and be faithful to the Lords Proprietors.
• Government officials and Freemen were allowed religious freedom. Further, the General Assemblies were allowed to appoint ministers and determine their compensation.
• A General Assembly was established and given the right to levy taxes.

Carolina’s Second Charter

In 1665, another charter was granted to the Lords Proprietors by King Charles II. The second charter altered the boundaries of the province, which were made to be 36’ 30’ on the north and 29’ on the south. The change moved the Albemarle Region within the colony’s boundaries.

The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina

In 1669, the Lords Proprietors issued the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina. Also known as the “Grand Model,” it created a new government structure for Carolina that established a nobility and reduced the power of the General Assembly. The system was controversial and underwent several modifications, and was suspended from 1693 to 1698. The Proprietors created the Constitutions to help protect their interests and keep the government from developing into a democracy. Most of the provisions were never fully implemented, or they were simply ignored.

Nature

Geography

There are four distinct regional areas in South Carolina:

• Upstate —  This region comprises the northwest corner of South Carolina. This area is also referred to as the “Upcountry” and “Backcountry.”
• Midlands — This region encompasses the central part of South Carolina. It is halfway between the Lowcountry and Upstate.
• Pee Dee — The northeast region of South Carolina.
• Lowcountry — This region makes up the southeast corner of South Carolina.

There are six distinct geographic (landform) regions in South Carolina:

Coastal Zone — This is a long, narrow strip that runs along the Pee Dee Region and Lowcountry Region on the Atlantic Coast. It includes beaches, barrier islands, salt marshes, and estuaries.

• The Coastal Zone runs for roughly 185 miles from Georgetown to Beaufort.
• It extends about 10 miles inland from the coast.
• Charleston sits in the Coastal Zone.
• Many of South Carolina’s oldest plantation homes and buildings are in this region.

Coastal Plain — The largest landform region in South Carolina. It encompasses the Outer Coastal Plan and the Inner Coastal Plain, extending from 120 to 150 miles from the Coastal Zone to the Sandhills. The terrain of the region varies. Some areas are nearly flat and featureless, while some areas are filled with small rolling hills.

• The Outer Coastal Plain rises slightly from the coast to the Inner Coastal Plain. It features swamps, marshes, and slow-moving waterways.
  • The large rice and indigo plantations were located in this region.
  • It is also called the “Lower Pine Belt.”
• The Inner Coastal Plain sits between the Outer Coastal Plain to the Sandhills. 

• This area was ideal for agriculture during the Colonial Era.
• It is also called the “Upper Pine Belt” and the “Agricultural Heartland of South Carolina.”

Sandhills — This is a narrow strip that runs across the Midlands of South Carolina. 

• The sandy soil was difficult for farming.
• The Fall Line, which separates the Inner Coastal Plain from the Piedmont, runs through the Sandhills.
• The region features gently sloping hills of rough, sandy soil that rise as high as 200 feet.

Piedmont — This region is 100 miles wide and sits between the Sandhills and the Blue Ridge.

• Piedmont is French for “foot of the mountains.”
• The region covers one-third of South Carolina.
• The topography varies. It moves from gently rolling hills in the southeast to higher hills in the northwest.
• The rivers are long and have many tributaries.
• There are several “monadnocks,“ or isolated hills, in the region. One of these is Kings Mountain, where the Battle of Kings Mountain was fought in 1780.

Blue Ridge — The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains.

• It covers roughly 600 miles of the extreme northwest part of South Carolina.
• The highest peaks include Sassafras Mountain (3,554 feet) and Pinnacle Mountain (3,425 feet).

Terrain

The terrain of South Carolina begins along the coast, featuring barrier islands, salt marshes, and estuaries that give way to low-lying plains filled with swamps and waterways. Moving west, the land shifts to fertile soil and rolling hills that rise to the Fall Line. There, the terrain shifts to sandy hills that flow into another region of larger, rolling hills, which eventually give way to dense forests and the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains.

Climate

The Southern Regions of Colonial America were the warmest of the three regions. South Carolina was generally warm and humid, with long, hot summers and mild winters. 

• Abundant rainfall supported agriculture, making the colony well-suited for crops such as rice, indigo, and later cotton. 
• Coastal areas experienced a subtropical climate with high humidity, tidal flooding, and the threat of hurricanes. 
• Inland regions enjoyed slightly cooler temperatures and less humidity. 
• This climate encouraged plantation farming along the coast and smaller-scale agriculture in the interior.

Natural Resources

South Carolina’s fertile soil, pine forests, rivers, and a coastal environment provided natural resources such as timber, pitch, tar, and turpentine. All of these were essential to the production of naval stores and the shipbuilding industry. The climate, soil, and low elevation created ideal conditions for growing tobacco, rice, and indigo. Rivers offered transportation routes and water power, while the coastline supported fishing and trade through natural harbors like Charleston. These resources shaped the colony’s economy and its reliance on plantation agriculture.

Society

Religion

When Carolina was founded, colonists were given religious freedom. All the Lords Proprietors were members of the Church of England, but Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury, was an advocate of religious freedom. The Church of England eventually became the official Church, although “non-conformists” such as Quakers, Huguenots, and Congregationalists settled in South Carolina.

Witchcraft

It appears there were no large-scale witchcraft trials in South Carolina during the Colonial Era. However, there was one isolated incident that took place in Fairfield County in 1792:

• After some cattle became ill and died, people living in Winnsboro started behaving in a strange manner. Soon after, rumors of witchcraft made their way through the county.
• A total of four women were accused of witchcraft, primarily Mary Ingleman, who was of German heritage and had a reputation for knowledge of folklore medicine. The accusations against Ingleman included turning a young man into a horse and riding him to a meeting of witches and the Devil.
• A group of local farmers gathered the women and held a trial at a local farm. 
• The women were found guilty and brutally tortured, but they survived the experience. 
• According to some accounts, Mary Ingleman survived a hanging.

Industry

Industry was closely tied to the abundance of pine trees, forests, and fertile soil. The pine trees provided resources needed to produce naval stores, including tar, pitch, and turpentine. The forests provided lumber that was used in shipbuilding. The soil enabled plantations to cultivate tobacco, rice, and indigo, which were important cash crops.

Economy

Early on, South Carolina’s economy depended on the Fur Trade with local Indians and on producing beef and other foodstuffs to trade with Barbados. Over time, the colony became dependent on the Triangular Trade System and the Transatlantic Slave Trade because plantation owners needed to acquire a workforce. South Carolina’s economy was also dependent on trading goods and natural resources with other colonies, including Virginia, as well as the production of naval stores for the British Royal Navy. Charleston emerged as one of the important port cities in America, alongside Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

Slavery

Slavery was part of society in South Carolina from its earliest days, as it was a common practice among the Indian tribes living in the region. When English settlers came from Barbados, they brought slavery and slave codes with them, and also became involved in the slave trade with the Indians.

• South Carolina preferred an enslaved workforce over indentured servants more than any other colony. 
• By 1715, approximately 60% of the population was made up of enslaved Africans. It was the only colony where blacks outnumbered whites.

Enslaved Africans adapted well to the semitropical climate in South Carolina and were similar to the Indians in how they used waterways, were skilled fishermen, and could survive off the land.

• On small farms, masters and slaves often worked side-by-side. This was called “sawbuck equality,” which refers to them working together sawing wood.
• Slave Codes slowly reduced the liberties of enslaved people in South Carolina.

Over time, South Carolina merchants and planters prioritized buying captive Africans based on their experience raising cattle or cultivating rice. 

• By 1765, blacks outnumbered whites 90,000 to 40,000.
• Charleston imported more slaves than any other North American port.

Slave Codes

The South Carolina Slave Codes were a series of laws that regulated slavery in the colony. They were modeled on the Barbados Slave Code. The codes codified chattel slavery, denied enslaved people legal rights, and sanctioned harsh punishments. The 1740 Negro Act, passed in the aftermath of the Stono Rebellion, served as the foundation of slave law in the colony and remained in effect until 1865.

Slave Code of 1690 — South Carolina’s first formal slave code, modeled on Barbados laws of 1661. The act codified chattel slavery, required enslaved people to carry written passes to travel, and allowed brutal punishments such as branding, nose-slitting, and emasculation. Although the Lords Proprietors disallowed the law due to mistrust of Barbadian planters, it set a precedent for later codes that institutionalized racial slavery in the colony.

Slave Code of 1696 — Enacted in 1696, it was also modeled on the Barbados system. It reinforced the system of chattel slavery even though enslaved people were still a minority of the population. Strict enforcement was difficult because the colony’s planters often worked alongside their slaves and because enslaved people frequently moved unsupervised between plantations and into Charleston.

Slave Code of 1712 — This new code reinforced earlier statutes and expanded the system of racial slavery. It established that children inherited the status of their mothers, making slavery perpetual. The act penalized planters who had more than six enslaved people per overseer and allowed punishment for slaves who visited Charleston to gamble or engage in “wicked designs.” Though harsh, enforcement was uneven, and enslaved people continued to find ways to move about with some autonomy.

Slave Code of 1740 — Also known as the Negro Act, this South Carolina law was passed after the Stono Rebellion and became the foundation of slavery in the colony until 1865. It denied enslaved people rights under English common law, barred them from testifying in court, and reduced the murder of a slave to a misdemeanor. The act increased penalties for slave crimes, restricted movement, banned writing and drumming, limited clothing, and prohibited owning firearms, further entrenching racial slavery.

AP US History Alignment

South Carolina Colony is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the APUSH Curriculum:

Unit 1: 1491–1607

• 1.6 — Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

Unit 2: 1607–1754

• 2.2 — European Colonization
• 2.3 — The Regions of British Colonies
• 2.4 — Transatlantic Trade
• 2.5 — Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans
• 2.6 — Slavery in the British Colonies
• 2.7 — Colonial Society and Culture

American Pageant Notes

• The Planting of English America (1500–1733)
• American Life in the 17th Century (1607–1692)
• Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution (1700–1775)