Rice Fields
Amari was lucky, she never had to work in the rice fields. The rice fields were deadly, the slaves that worked in them only lasted about five years before they died of some cause. Some of these causes included copperhead snake bites, alligator attacks, diseases, unclean drinking water, heat stroke, and even overwork. All of these things led to death. Rice wasn't introduced until 1685 and was most common in South Carolina. Originally the plantation owner farmed the land, but they had little luck growing rice until the slaves came along. The plantation owners tried to grow rice on dry land, using a very similar method to how you grow corn, but this didnt work well because it was to highly dependent on the rainfall. The slaves could get more done then the plantation owners and most of them knew how to grow rice. That meant the plantation owner could just sit back, relax, and watch his slaves do all the work. What the plantation owners didn't know at the time was that rice was going to be the biggest cash crop in South Carolina. Rice Plantation owners got rich, with the money they earned they bought more slaves to work on their plantation making them even richer next harvest.
Rice Fields Today
The rice fields along the coast of South Carolina are abandoned by most of the whites today. The Natives and a few alligators have claimed most of the land as theirs. What they haven't claimed is used for ecological and economic purposes. Rice plantations ended after the civil war ended due to loss of labor.
Amari was lucky, she never had to work in the rice fields. The rice fields were deadly, the slaves that worked in them only lasted about five years before they died of some cause. Some of these causes included copperhead snake bites, alligator attacks, diseases, unclean drinking water, heat stroke, and even overwork. All of these things led to death. Rice wasn't introduced until 1685 and was most common in South Carolina. Originally the plantation owner farmed the land, but they had little luck growing rice until the slaves came along. The plantation owners tried to grow rice on dry land, using a very similar method to how you grow corn, but this didnt work well because it was to highly dependent on the rainfall. The slaves could get more done then the plantation owners and most of them knew how to grow rice. That meant the plantation owner could just sit back, relax, and watch his slaves do all the work. What the plantation owners didn't know at the time was that rice was going to be the biggest cash crop in South Carolina. Rice Plantation owners got rich, with the money they earned they bought more slaves to work on their plantation making them even richer next harvest.
Rice Fields Today
The rice fields along the coast of South Carolina are abandoned by most of the whites today. The Natives and a few alligators have claimed most of the land as theirs. What they haven't claimed is used for ecological and economic purposes. Rice plantations ended after the civil war ended due to loss of labor.
You might have get whipped if you refused to work in the rice fields
Slaves had to work in the rice fields all day
This picture shows a wet rice field
Two women working in the rice field
This picture shows two women pounding rice