Charleston was one of the major cities in the South from the colonial era until the Civil War in the 1860s. The city was enriched by the export of rice and, later, cotton from the sea islands, and was the base of many wealthy merchants and landowners. Or is it that everyone is up to their necks in debt? Throughout the 19th century, Charleston experienced a period of economic prosperity, driven by the growth of its port, the expansion of cotton cultivation and the boom in tourism. Many of the city's large houses and public buildings were built during this time, and they remain some of the city's most iconic sights today.
Charleston has a dark history as a key location in the transatlantic slave trade, making it the richest city in the South for a period of time. The city was at the height of its prosperity in the 18th century, in what is known as the pre-war period of the civil war, between the War of Independence and the Civil War. Some figures estimate that 50% of the slaves brought to the United States passed through Charleston. Many African Americans, including Michelle Obama, can trace the arrival of their ancestors to the United States through the slave trade in Charleston.
They transmitted a tradition of struggle between the white and black populations of South Carolina, between the rich and the poor, established families and newcomers from the north, and the leaders of Tidewater and the north of the state. Visitors can explore the city's rich history by visiting its many museums, historic sites, and iconic landmarks. In the old plantations converted into tourist sites, many visitors feel absorbed in the aristocratic life of the planters and not by the people who made that elegance is possible. The quickest way for a prosperous white man to become extremely wealthy in British North America was to buy slaves and lowland swamps called “the Carolina Golden Mines” by an observer from 1770 and open a rice farm.
On the eve of the American Revolution, Carolina's golden rice made the Lowlands the richest area in North America, and perhaps the richest in the world, according to the prominent historian Coclanis. In the early 19th century, a Connecticut Yankee who moved to Georgia noted that rich men in Savannah were only concerned with “getting money, dancing, betting, running horses” and that women only wanted to “spend money, play the piano and contemplate their own beauty”.
