Rice and the making of South Carolina : an introductory essay

Originally, Carolinians grew rice on dry land, but early in the eighteenth century, cultivation spread to swampy fresh water areas. Until the 1850s, rice reigned supreme. But large-scale rice production was limited to the tidal marshes and inland swamp, while cotton became profitable statewide after the invention of the cotton gin. In its heyday, however, rice made a few hundred planters extremely wealthy. It also contributed to cross culturation and the making of Carolina as a rich cultural hybrid. In this essay, it is this aspect of rice cultivation that Professor Littlefield describes.

The Proceedings of the South Carolina Historical Association

Annually, the association publishes a journal, The Proceedings, which consists of papers presented at the annual meeting. Retreat from Conservatism: The Old Lady of Broad Street Embraces Jim Crow by W. Ernest Douglas Catharine Macaulay: Eighteenth-Century Rebel by Mildred C. Beckwith Hitler’s Living Space Concept by C. Waldron Bolen