Gullah History | Gullah Net

From West Africa

During the late 1600s, English settlers in the new colonies needed more workers to farm thousands of acres of land on Sea Island plantations. Although some of the workers were Native Americans, most were Africans brought to the American colonies as enslaved Africans. South Carolina provided some of the main ports for the European ships that carried people from West Africa and the West Indies.

Many West Africans were skilled farmers and builders. Plantation owners wanted people from this region to farm indigo, rice and cotton. Rice, a crop that the Africans had cultivated for centuries, was highly desired throughout the world. By 1700, "Carolina Golden Rice," as it was called, became a major export from the Sea Islands. Almost as profitable as gold, it brought great wealth to the families who owned the plantations. Although the slaves provided much-needed labor, they were not paid for their work. However, Africans were rich in something that money could not buy - the cultural heritage they brought with them from their homeland.

Word Bank

Sea Islands (sea is.lands) - a group of islands off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and North Florida.

Native American (na.tive a.mer.i.can) n. - a descendant of any of the peoples who lived in North, Central or South America before European explorers and colonists arrived.

slave (slave) n. - a person who is owned by someone else and works without pay.

port (port) n. - a town or city with deep water where ships can dock and load or unload cargo.

West Africa (west af.ri.ca) - the region of western Africa between the Sahara Desert and the Gulf of Guinea.

West Indies (west in.dies) - a group of islands between North and South America that includes the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles.

indigo (in.di.go) n. - a plant used to make blue dye; historically grown on plantations.

cultivate (cul.ti.vate) v. - to grow a crop.

export (ex.port) n. - something that is sent to another country for trade or sale.

cultural heritage (her.i.tage) n. - things handed down from generation to generation, such as traditions and languages that have cultural importance.

Standards

• 3-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the exploration and settlement of South Carolina.
  • The inhabitants of the early Carolina colony included native, immigrant, and enslaved peoples. To understand how these various groups interacted to form a new and unique culture, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the follo...
    • 3-2.5 Explain the role of Africans in developing the culture and economy of South Carolina, including the growth of the slave trade; slave contributions to the plantation economy; the daily lives of the enslaved people; the development of the Gullah cu...
• This indicator prompts students to inquire about how geography influences economic activities around the world. Economic livelihoods may be expressed by agriculture (subsistence, commercial), industry, and services.
  • 3.4.1.PR Investigate the cultural characteristics of places and regions around the world.
  • This indicator prompts students to inquire about different ways to represent the distribution of various cultural characteristics, like belief systems, clothing, food, and shelter, and the varied ways in which people make a living in different world r...
• This indicator allows students to work with maps and mapping tools to show where migration, as described in the previous indicator, affects populations in both sending and receiving locations.
  • 3.5.1.HS Investigate and explain the economic, social, and political motivations behind human exploration of Earth.
  • 3.5.2.AG Use maps and other geographic representations to identify exploration patterns throughout Earth history.
  • 3.5.4.AG Use maps and other geographic representations to identify how migration patterns affect people and places.
• This indicator was written to promote inquiry into the unique development of ethnic, political, and religious identities in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies.
  • This indicator was developed to promote inquiry into how European colonization impacted the interaction among African, European, and Native American cultural groups.
  • 4.1.CE Identify the effects of changing economic systems on the diverse populations in British North America.
  • This indicator was developed to promote inquiry into how South Carolina developed as a result of the relationship among various ethnic, political, and religious groups.
  • This indicator was written to promote inquiry into the role of mercantilism in the growth of agriculture, early industry, harbor development, shipping and trade, and slavery in the British colonies.
• This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into the geographic and human factors that contributed to the development of South Carolina’s economic system. This indicator was also written to encourage inquiry into South Carolina’s distinct social and economic system as influenced by British Barbados.
  • This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into the development of South Carolina as a result of mercantilist policies, which ranged from the Navigation Acts to trade with Native Americans to the use of enslaved people as labor. This indicator w...

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