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Introduction
Charleston is a city in South Carolina and one of the largest cities in the United States. Its ancient name was Charles Towne in the year 1670 (French, 2009). It adopted the name Charleston in 1783. The name Charleston was coined by Charles Towne – King Charles II of England. In 1980, Charleston moved to its recent location. It is a very old location was Albemarle Point. The majority of the people who dwelt in old Charleston were primarily from England. Charlton contained several migrants as protestant denominations from several countries like Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and France. At some time in the late 17th century, Charleston was much prone to attacks from both land and sea (French, 2009). In 1961, civil war broke in South Carolina which lasted for four years. However, the practice of slave trade and slavery reigned in South Carolina before and during the civil war. This paper speaks about slavery in Charleston, South Carolina – America’s capital for the slave trade, and where the majority of enslaved people first arrived. It speaks about the life and origin of the slaves and also highlights some of their experiences; their starting point, where they lived, hunger and hardship, life on the plantation, and brutal work regime.
Slavery in Charleston, South Carolina before the Year 1865
Most history about slavery in America starts with Charlton. French (2009) asserted that Native Americans were primarily the earliest slaves of Charleston. Long before the coming of the European colonists, these Native Americans dwelt amidst the mountains and along the rivers of the Lowcountry. French (2009) pointed out that the various tribes of Native Americans in South Carolina often warred against each other. As a result, they hunted, captured, and sold enemy tribes to the whites as slaves. During the 17th and 18th centuries, South Carolina was heavily populated by Native American slaves (French, 2009). Later on, white plantation owners got to learn that Africans worked better than the Native Americans in rice cultivation; in addition, the Africans seemed to be more resistant to white diseases such as yellow fever. Hence, plantation owners began to terminate the usage of Native Americans for work on their plantations and sought black people.
Throughout the slave trade across the Atlantic Ocean, an estimation of 40% of African slaves that were brought into America came in by Charleston harbor (French, 2009). In mid 17th century, Charleston was the main entry center for Africans that were brought into America. The majority of the slaves that were brought into South Carolina were mostly from West Africa, particularly from the Gold Coast. Preferred slaves were mainly from the Gold Coast, which includes; Senegambia (contemporary Ghana), Angola, and Niger Delta. Black people of several tribes mainly from the Gold Coast were brought to Charleston as slaves. These slaves were often sold in the south to provide cheap labor (French, 2009). However, a great deal of those slaves stayed in South Carolina.
The way the enslaved people lived varied significantly, particularly in Charleston, and to date, historians have different opinions about diverse aspects of the slaves’ experiences (French, 2009). While some of the enslaved people worked in farmyards, toiled on the same piece of land all day long; others worked in relatively fairly comfortable conditions, having access to better clothing, food, and shelter; however, these slaves must be on duty every hour of the day, subject to their master’s whims and humor. In the 1930s, when interviewed by the then government writers, lots of slaves admitted that they were mercilessly tortured at the slightest offense (French, 2009). Some say they had kind and sympathetic masters; nonetheless, they were all in bondage. Many others were harassed sexually by their possessors; in fact, several young slave girls were purchased partly for this purpose. In Charleston and even other old Southern cities, the act of abusing an enslaved woman sexually was not practiced covertly (French, 2009). It is quite unbeknown to most people that the majority of the more than three thousand freedmen that live in Charleston are offspring of enslaved people and their owners.
The diverse experiences gave rise to a new way of life. The Gullah who stayed in South Carolina adhered to some characteristics of their African custom-like their folktales, trade, and craft. They spoke English slightly mixed with their former language referred to some as a creole. The unit families of the enslaved people had a much greater sense of community. While enslaved people were not at liberty to marry or bear families by law, some slave owners sometimes allowed it. The owners often considered such arrangements to make their slaves relatively contented; however, there were other reasons. Offspring of the enslaved people were not only properties of their owners and extend the workforce, but an enslaved person with a family would hardly abscond as Charleston was somewhat a natural fortress; hence, absconding alone was very difficult let alone absconding with family.
To a large extent, most of the slaves were deployed to work on plantations. South Carolina possessed high slave labor as rice was the biggest cash crop in Lowcountry, which calls for about ten times the labor required to harvest cotton for instance (French, 2009). The majority of the slaves dwelt in cabins built on the plantation field that could shelter about ten or more slaves. The slaves were given clothes by their masters usually once a year, often at Christmas. They were also provided with a pair of shoes intended to last all year; however, the shoes wear out within a far shorter period of working. As a result, most slaves would work barefooted on the plantation. Slaves were given small quantities of food by their owners, so most of them had gardens where they had to make some money for themselves and also supplement for their meager meal. A good number of enslaved people were proficient in certain skills due to the nature of South Carolina’s peculiar institutions. Some of the skilled slaves taught their children and relations the skill. Most communities had watchmen and patrollers to ensure that slaves were not where they ought not to be.
In mid-1856, buying and selling of slaves on the streets of Charleston was declared illegal (French, 2009). Locals of the city found the act somewhat disgustful, perhaps even distracting, they had complained to administrators of the city. Slaves were regarded and treated as commodities. They would be fed well and even cleaned up to attract better prices. Enslaved people were responsible for all the cooking for their masters, themselves, and at the mart. Slaves that worked at the Mart were not corrected by physical punishment as buyers might be scared off by distinctive marks of a whip on the slave. Operators of Mart would rather threaten to sell a misbehaved slave far-off, of which, no slave wished for.
In 1860, enslaved people who had certain skills and crafts were sold for higher prices. An extra man – a skilled slave might sell for $1,550, which is about $35,000 in today’s dollars (French, 2009). A strong field worker, of good health, and youth might sell for $1,450. While an older slave might sell for a meager price, as low as $800 (French, 2009). Mostly, only wealthy people could afford slaves. The prices implied that about 3% of the white people owned about 95% of all the slaves in America before the war (French, 2009).
Reference
French, A. M. (2009). Slavery in South Carolina and the Ex-Slaves: Or, the Port Royal Mission. Michigan: University of Michigan Library.
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