STANDARD INDICATOR 8-3.1

TENSIONS BETWEEN THE UPCOUNTRY & LOWCOUNTRY

TENSION BETWEEN UPCOUNTRY & LOWCOUNTRY

1. Surfaced during the Regulator Movement

2. Increased due to the Revolutionary War

3. Continued to grow as differences between the two regions developed

4. Upcountry: Northwestern part of state, original home of Cherokee

5. Lowcountry: area along Atlantic coast, first area settled in state

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UPCOUNTRY & LOWCOUNTRY

Lowcountry• Patriots• Elite planters• Wealthy & civilized• Plantation farming• Cash crops (rice &

indigo)• Many slaves• Slave main labor

source

Upcountry• Loyalists• Traders & woodsmen• Poor & uncivilized• Subsistence farming• Staple crops (food &

small amounts of flax)• Few slaves• Farmers & slaves

worked together

Differences Continued

Lowcountry

• Strong support for slavery

• Economy & social status depended on slavery

• Small white population

• Large slave population

• Controlled politics & government

Upcountry• Little support for

slavery• Economy & social

class depended on their hard work & determination

• Large white population

• Small slave population

• Little political power

Differences Continued

Lowcountry• Greater

representation in legislature

• Greater influence• Center of government

& business• Charleston capital

Upcountry• Little representation

in legislature• Little influence• Had to travel too far

to present issues to legislature or argue court cases

A.R. War Economically affected SC

1. Upcountry & Lowcountry suffered

2. Fighting destroyed countryside & slaves

3. Livestock & goods were taken by British

4. After war economy was slow to improve

Reasons for Economic Suffering of Lowcountry

1. No British subsidies

2. No protected markets

3. Britain developed new sources of raw materials and markets for goods

4. Planters could not pay debts to British creditors

5. US & SC governments could not pay for goods they had commandeered from citizens

6. Poor crop yields• (Economic problems would continue until the

early 1800’s when cotton became new cash crop)

Political Tensions Between Upcountry & Lowcountry are Eased When….

1. 1785: Legislature created counties and county courts

2. 1786: capital moved to Columbia in center of state

(Political tension still exists since the Lowcountry maintained its majority control in legislature)

Equal representation

1. Why did the Lowcountry agree to share power?

a) Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin

b) Cotton became a cash crop in Upcountry

c) Slavery increases in the Upcountry

d) Lowcountry agrees to share power in legislature

How Inventions

changed history

(for better of for worse) (5:15)

Equal representation

Legislature passed the Compromise of 1808: this act1. Reapportioned the house2. Representation based equally on white

population & amount of taxable property (including slaves)

Low & Up Countries had their share of slaves & political power