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This impressive scholarly debut deftly reinterprets one of America's oldest symbols--the southern slave plantation. S. Max Edelson examines the relationships between planters, slaves, and the natural world they colonized to create the Carolina Lowcountry.

European settlers came to South Carolina in 1670 determined to possess an abundant wilderness. Over the course of a century, they settled highly adaptive rice and indigo plantations across a vast coastal plain. Forcing slaves to turn swampy wastelands into productive fields and to channel surging waters into elaborate irrigation systems, planters initiated a stunning economic transformation.

The result, Edelson reveals, was two interdependent plantation worlds. A rough rice frontier became a place of unremitting field labor. With the profits, planters made Charleston and its hinterland into a refined, diversified place to live. From urban townhouses and rural retreats, they ran multiple-plantation enterprises, looking to England for affirmation as agriculturists, gentlemen, and stakeholders in Britain's American empire. Offering a new vision of the Old South that was far from static, Edelson reveals the plantations of early South Carolina to have been dynamic instruments behind an expansive process of colonization.

With a bold interdisciplinary approach, Plantation Enterprise reconstructs the environmental, economic, and cultural changes that made the Carolina Lowcountry one of the most prosperous and repressive regions in the Atlantic world.

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great research opportunity
This book is perfect for anyone interested in their Irish roots, it is a definitive look at the Irish in Charleston. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Introduces the geography, history, people, industries, and other highlights of South Carolina. ... Read more

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South Carolina's first transportation revolution was the development of a network of canals and waterways. From the 1790s to the 1830s, the Palmetto State was a preeminent leader in infrastructure improvements and developed an extensive system of more than two thousand miles of canals and waterways connecting virtually every part of the state with the coast and the port of Charleston.Robert J. Kapsch expertly recounts the complex history of innovation, determination, and improvement that fueled the canal boom in early-nineteenth-century South Carolina.

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Customer Reviews (3)

South Carolina Coast
For any person living or planning to live on the South Carolina I truly recommend this superb book.It is a perfect example of a strong combination of science and practicality.Of particular interest is the work of, Matthew Stutz.Stutz is a budding young star whose breakthrough work will we certainly be hearing more about in the future.I highly recommend you pick up this book for the knowledge of the South Carolina Coast and to get a preview of the genius of Dr. Stutz.

Required Reading
This book should be required reading for anyone contemplating a purchase of property on the eastern coast.While the "pulpit preacher" tone gets tired, we are seldom aware of just how much change occurs over a relatively brief period of time.Pay your money now or a million when your lot is under water in another 30 years.

Beach Visitors Beware
I read this book while vacationing at Folly Beach, South Carolina. I lovedthe factual information especially the history of the development of thebarrier islandsHowever, the doom and gloom undertone predications got alittle heavy handed after a while.It seemed like the book was a warningto anyone thinking about moving the the coast to stay away.Upon furtherinspection, it turns out that the "living with the coast" serieswas underwritten by FEMA!.An enjoyable read anyway. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lived through Hugo - Part 2
My husband and I lived through Hugo also.We stayed in our home, mainlybecause the news crews chose our little town, 15 miles from the coast, tohole up in.None of us realized the magnitude of this storm until it wastoo late.We were the lucky ones, we managed to get through that horriblenight basically unscathed.Others were not so lucky.I like the focus ofthe book being on surviving the storm and helping your fellow man, of whichwe saw a lot of.People would drive by, giving out food and ice and cleanwater.It made me realize there is still good in the world after all. Ofcourse, a year after the storm we hightailed it up to Canada!I sworenever again to go through such an experience.At least up here all we haveto deal with is lots of snow!

The Eye of The Storm
My wife of 6 months and myself left N.Y. to live in Charleston S.C on June 11th 1989. We never in our young lives ever wish to see a storm of such magnitude.It was a living nightmare , your book was excellent . This stormgenerated more tornadoes than any other, the air force had clocked speedsof 240mph sustained gust.God bless the ones who were not so fortunate as wewere.It was hell for months afterwards. Your book was realistic

Lived thru Hugo
My husband and I visited the virgin islands in 1989.After arriving on Saturday morning, a very strong wind and rain storm arrived, called Hurricane Hugo.The trama followed with hollowing winds, trees falling,people scrambling, loss of communication, and lots of confusion.We willnever forget this week long vacation at this beatiful island. Your bookdoes not do the storm and damage to visitors, people who reside on theisland, people who have businesses on the island, and of course, those whoown boats and planes in this island. ... Read more

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school book
This is the text that my daughter is using in school for 3rd grade and I wanted an extra copy at home to help out at test time. It's a great book about South Carolina history. ... Read more

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Surveys the people, geography, and history of the southeastern Palmetto State. ... Read more

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Introduces the geography, history, government, people, culture, and attractions of South Carolina. ... Read more

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Plantation membership, an important association that continues to carry meaning in today's African-American communities on the Sea Islands, depends on one's residence between the ages of two and 12. This is the time when one "catches sense," or learns the difference between right and wrong and the meaning of social relationships. Plantation membership confers rights and duties to its members for life, particularly in the areas of dispute settlement, adjudication, and status confirmation. The praise house system, which was the focal point of plantation life, is analyzed historically and in terms of the ethnographic present. Guthrie, an African-American anthropologist, believes that much of what she witnessed on St. Helena during her field research was a response to the experience of slavery when identity was derived from plantation residency rather than from mother, father, or place of birth. ... Read more

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black communities on so carolina island, decende nts of slaves
i was disappointed because it was redundant and seemed research oriented but by one person's interviews and assumptions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

More than maps! Wonderful resource for outsiders trying to learn about Carolina
This book is a collection of short and well researched essays on North and South Carolina that I stumbled on by accident in a local book store. Though the cover looks something like an atlas or a workbook, everything inside is a delight and written with the kind of polish and insight that usually skips geography/history books! The chapters are from well regarded college professors throughout the region and are fairly short.I particularly enjoyed the sections on pre and post Civil War history/geography and on the economic history of the region - the latter is probably the dominant theme of this book. It would be a perfect read for anyone who emigrated to the Carolinas from another part of the country and wants to know more about the region. ... Read more