Rice & Other Commodities
of the Atlantic World
By: Elise Stevens Wilson
Triangular Trade
In the 17th and 18th centuries trade in the
Atlantic grew rapidly.
 Europe, Africa, and the New World each had
commodities to offer the others.
 Several trade triangles developed

American Colonies
-Rum
-Fish
-Tobacco
-Rice
-Lumber
-Cotton
-Indigo
Caribbean
-Sugar
-Molasses
-Slaves
Europe
-Copper
-Guns
-Manufactured goods
-Textiles
Africa
-Enslaved men
-Enslaved Women
- Enslaved Children
THE IMPORTANCE OF RICE
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
A Case Study of the Symbiotic Trade Relations in the Atlantic
What is a symbiotic relationship?
IT IS A RELATIONSHIP WHERE
EACH INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP
DEPENDS ON THE OTHER FOR
SOMETHING. THEY BENEFIT EACH
OTHER.
It All Starts with Sugar
When Europeans first started to settle in
the New World, they quickly discovered a
new product, sugar.
 They set up large
sugar plantations in the
Caribbean, like Barbados.
 They needed people
to work on those
plantations – African
slaves

South Carolina Feeds Barbados





People seeking a fortune wanted to find ways to
make money and acquire more land.
South Carolina was “unclaimed” and was close to
Barbados. So proprietors went in 1670 to seek
their fortunes.
Europeans tried various different crops, raised
livestock, and cut down lumber to sell.
In the beginning, livestock raised in South
Carolina fed people in Barbados. South Carolina
helped keep the sugar plantations functioning by
supporting them with food. Later rice would be a
major food staple.
Barbados would send sugar and molasses which
the American colonies would turn into rum.
“ The only commodity of consequence
produced in South Carolina is rice, and
they reckon it as much their staple
commodity, as sugar is to Barbados and
Jamaica, or tobacco to Virginia and
Maryland.” – James Glen, 1761
Finding Labor
Native Indians seemed like a likely source
of labor for the proprietors of South
Journal
Question:
Carolina, but there were a couple of
problems.

◦ Different language, customs
Why
do
you
think
Europeans
◦ They know the land well – easier to run away
chose
enslaved
Africans
totribes
be the
◦ Colonists
feared retaliation
from
◦ Nevertheless,
Indians
were
used
as slaves for
main
labor
force
in
the
colonies?
generations
European Labor
European labor was appealing since white
workers were familiar with customs and language.
 They also were familiar with clearing land and
farming which Indians were not.
 But, white laborers had little motivation to work
hard, and they were indentured servants, so there
was a time limit for how long they had to work.

African Labor
Colonists looked to black slaves as a good
source of labor even though they were an
expensive initial investment.
 As with the native population, African
slaves did not know the language and
customs of the European settlers. But,
most slaves entering South Carolina were
coming from the English Caribbean, not
directly from Africa, so the slaves had time
to become acclimated to European
culture.

Additionally, Africans, unlike Europeans
and Indians, were familiar with rice
cultivation as it was a crop grown in West
Africa. They brought this knowledge with
them and helped to make rice a cash
crop.
 Here is wording from an advertisement
that appeared in the Evening Gazette in
1785, “a choice cargo of windward and
gold coast negroes, who have been
accustomed to the planting of rice.”

Activity
Each group will be given a picture of
either rice production in South Carolina
or triangular trade.
 1. Feel free to circle or draw arrows to
things you think are important.
 2. Around the images, write down some
observations or questions.
 3. In at least 5 sentences write what you
think life might have been like for any of
the participants in this history.

American Colonies
-Rum
-Fish
-Tobacco
-Rice
-Lumber
-Cotton
-Indigo
An Established Symbiotic Relationship
Europe
Rice, Rum
Livestock,
Rice
Caribbean
-Sugar
-Molasses
-Slaves
-Copper
-Guns
-Manufactured goods
-Textiles
Slaves
Slaves, Sugar
Rum
Slaves
Africa
-Enslaved men
-Enslaved Women
- Enslaved Children
Source Citations

Pictures

Atlantic map
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/walter.sargent/public.www/web%2520103/map%2520north%2520at
lantic%2520historic.jpg&imgrefurl=http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/~walters/web%2520103/week%25201%2520umf%2520103_06.html&us
g=__Lucltwvkr3i9YeEaFQnDfZinc1I=&h=378&w=496&sz=75&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=Ff3Hfga_yjsfBM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=152
&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAtlantic%2Bhistoric%2Bmap%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1C1GGGE_enUS386US386%2
6biw%3D1024%26bih%3D651%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=366&ei=VUh1TNShO4nSsAP5scigDQ&oei=VUh1TNSh
O4nSsAP5scigDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&tx=108&ty=44

Triangular trade http://gs2americanstudies.blogspot.com/

Europe outline http://cnx.org/content/m13082/latest/

Africa outline http://www.enchantedlearning.com/africa/rivers/outlinemap/

American Colonies outline http://www.freekidscoloring.com/13_colonies_map-16481.php

Caribbean Outline http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/centamer/

Rice field http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/king/ill283.html

Sugar plantation http://abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_69.html

South Carolina colony http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/colonies/south-carolina.htm

Indians and colonists http://texasliberal.wordpress.com/category/colonial-america/

Indentured servants http://www.newton.k12.ks.us/tech/13colonies.htm

Triangular trade map http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/graphics/triangulartrade.jpg

Trade map http://americanhistory.abcclio.com/Search/Display/265722?terms=rice%20triangular%20trade&webSiteCode=SLN_AMHIST&returnToPage=/Search/Display/265
722%3fterms%3drice+triangular+trade&token=604E5450CD369B842BD9F2343662BCB8&casError=False
Pictures of rice production http://docsouth.unc.edu/index.html
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Quotes

Wood, Peter. Black Majority. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974. 35,, 60.