Upcountry vs. Lowcountry: Rivals
8-3.1 Explain the tensions between the Upcountry and the Lowcountry of South Carolina,
including their economic struggles after the Revolutionary War, their disagreement over
representation in the General Assembly, the location of the new capital, and the transformation
of the state’s economy.
including their economic struggles after the Revolutionary War, their disagreement over
representation in the General Assembly, the location of the new capital, and the transformation
of the state’s economy.
Upcountry vs. Lowcountry-1. The tensions between the people of the Upcountry and the Lowcountry of South Carolina, evident in the Regulator Movement (8-1.6), were exacerbated by the Revolutionary War as Lowcountry Patriots fought backcountry Loyalists. These tensions continued after the Revolutionary War ended. The Upcountry [after the revolution the backcountry was called the Upcountry] is the area in the northwestern part of the state, originally the home to the Cherokees. The first white settlers to move to the area were traders and woodsmen, so they were viewed by the Lowcountry elite as “uncivilized.” The Lowcountry was the area that surrounded the city of Charleston along the Atlantic coast of the state. The Lowcountry was the first area settled in the state, and eventually the plantation owners in the area grew rich from the export of rice and indigo.
|
Important stuffThe upcountry and lowcountry always were fighting with each other, all they way back to when the colony was first founded.
The Lowcountry folks were rich planters, and the Upcountry folks were everyday farmers, tradesmen, and woodsmen. The Upcountry thought the Lowcountry was stuck up, the Lowcountry thought the Upcountry were backwards hillbillies. |
Economic DifferencesTension between the regions rested in part on their economic differences. Many of theUpcountry folk were subsistence farmers. Although a few owned slaves, they did not have largeplantations and most worked their farms without the assistance of slave labor. TheLowcountry was dominated by the planter elite whose economic well-being and social status depended on their slave holdings. Both groups suffered economically as a result of the war. During the war years, fighting ravaged the countryside and slaves, livestock and goods were taken by the British. Once the war ended, the economy was slow to improve. The Lowcountry suffered because the mercantilist policies of Great Britain that had offered them economic subsidies and protected markets while South Carolina was a colony were now turned against them as part of an independent United States. The planters also owed money to creditors in
England which they could not pay. The United States government and the state governments were unable to pay for the goods they had commandeered during the fighting from the citizens. Poor crop yields made it even more difficult to recover economically. Economic problems would persist until the early 1800s when cotton became a new cash crop. |
Important to know.The major differences between up and low was how much money they made. Low was rich, Up not as much.
Also, the Lowcountry had slaves (to help grow the moneymaker Rice), and the Upcountry didn't need slaves on their subsistence farm. After the war though, the Lowcountry lost out on the subsidies the British paid for rice and indigo. They were broke and in debt. They wanted a strong national government to help them make trade more fair with foreign nations. For a while after the American Revolution, farming wasn't good for Lowcountry, and they were getting poorer. However, and important invention is going to make BOTH the Lowcountry and the UPcountry rich..that invention is the COTTON GIN. |
Fighting over RepresentationDuring South Carolina’s early years, the Lowcountry elite had little respect for the people living in the Upcountry. Political representation was a major source of tension. There was a larger white population living in the Upcountry, but most of the political power rested in the Lowcountry. Not only did the Lowcountry have greater representation in the legislature but Charleston was the capital and legal business was transacted there. So the Charleston elite had a greater influence on the government. Upcountry people objected to having to travel so far to present issues to the legislature or argue their legal matters in court. In 1785, counties and county courts were created. The next year, the capital was moved to the newly established city of Columbia in the center of the state and equally accessible to both the Upcountry and the Lowcountry [just as the national capital was moved to the more central location at the District of Columbia (8-3.4)]. These measures helped ease, but did not eliminate, political tensions between the Upcountry and the Lowcountry since the Lowcountry maintained its majority in the legislature.
|
IMPORTANT TO KNOWIn government, Representation = Power. The more representation you have, the more power you have in government.
The Lowcountry didn't think the Upcountry was smart enough to help run government, so they didn't give them the representation they deserved considering the Upcountry had more people than the Lowcountry. The Upcountry hated the fact they had to travel to Charleston to take care of legal business. The make the Upcountry happier the lowcountry agreed to create counties and county courts. The MAJOR thing the Lowcountry did was move the Capital to the middle of the state-- COLUMBIA. |
The MAIN reason Low didn't trust UP:
|
Important to KnowThe Lowcountry planters were addicted to slavery. They were afraid that since the Upcountry didn't have slaves they would want to outlaw slavery.
However, after the cotton gin was invented, the Upcountry got addicted to slavery too. Seeing they the Upcountry was becoming more like they were, the Lowcountry gave up Upcountry more representation. (however the lowcountry still kept more power than they deserved according to population) |