Enslaved Africans vs. White Settlers in Colonial South Carolina: Setting the Record Straight

The premise is incorrect. Throughout the colonial period, white settlers were always the majority in South Carolina.

Demographic Reality

• 1670 (founding): Almost entirely English/British settlers + enslaved Africans.
• Early 1700s: Black majority emerged in *lowcountry* rice districts due to labor-intensive cultivation.
• Colony-wide: Whites remained majority until after the American Revolution.
• 1790 Census (first US): SC population: 140,000 white, 108,000 enslaved. White majority.
• Antebellum peak (1860): 291,000 white, 402,000 enslaved – enslaved became majority only then.

Why the Misconception?

The lowcountry (coastal) region had a Black majority early (rice culture), and this is often generalized to the whole colony/state. But the upcountry/backcountry was overwhelmingly white (small farms, few slaves).

South Carolina was the only state with an enslaved majority at secession (1860), but not during the colonial era.