Unidentified artist. Benjamin Hawkins and the Creek Indians, circa 1805, oil on canvas, 35 7/8 x 49 7/8 inches. Collection of the Greenville County Museum of Art, gift of The Museum Association, Inc.
Agricultural Census records for selected farmers and planters in Charleston, Lexington, and Marion Districts, 1850
The Agriculture Census began in 1850. Farmers and planters were asked information about the amount and value of their land and equipment as well as what type of livestock and crops they possessed and produced. The listed holdings of these three prominent men demonstrate the kinds of crops grown in South Carolina during the 1850s, including rice, cotton, corn, and sweet potatoes, and the types of livestock raised, mainly cattle and hogs. The census records also demonstrate the different crops grown and lifestock raised throughout the state, with items like wheat and oats grown in the upstate, and hay and sheep more common in the lowcountry.
Citation:
Drayton, J.G. No. 5, p. 331. In United States. Bureau of the Census. Original Agriculture, Industry, Social Statistics, and Mortality Schedules for South Carolina 1850. Schedule 4. Production of Agriculture in Charleston District, South Carolina. F 600204. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.
Fox, John. No. 13, p. 103. In United States. Bureau of the Census. Original Agriculture, Industry, Social Statistics, and Mortality Schedules for South Carolina 1850. Production of Agriculture in Lexington District, South Carolina. F 600204. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.
Gregg, John E. No. 33, p. 221-2. United States. Bureau of the Census. Original Agriculture, Industry, Social Statistics, and Mortality Schedules for South Carolina 1850. Schedule 4. Production of Agriculture in Marion District, South Carolina. F 600204. Laurens-York. South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.
Correlating SC Social Studies Academic Standards:
Standard 3-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the events that led to the Civil War, the course of the War and Reconstruction, and South Carolina’s role in these events.
Indicator 3-4.1 Compare the conditions of daily life for various classes of people in South Carolina, including the elite, the middle class, the lower class, the independent farmers, and the free and enslaved African Americans. (H,E)
Standard 4-6: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the Civil War and its impact on America.
Indicator 4-6.1 Compare the industrial North and the agricultural South prior to the Civil War, including the specific nature of the economy of each region, the geographic characteristics and boundaries of each region, and the basic way of life in each region. (G , E, H)
Standard 8-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the American Civil War—its causes and effects and the major events that occurred during that time.
Indicator 8-3.1 Explain the importance of agriculture in antebellum South Carolina, including plantation life, slavery, and the impact of the cotton gin. (H, G, E)
Standard USHC-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and the course of the Civil War and Reconstruction in America.
Indicator USHC-4.1 Compare the social and cultural characteristics of the North, the South, and the West during the antebellum period, including the lives of African Americans and social reform movements such as abolition and women’s rights. (H, P, G)
