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  1. Decreasing Cotton Prices and McDuffie's Forty Bale Theory
    date April 6, 1830map SUMTER, South Carolinatags Agriculture, Economy

    The early 1800's were an interesting time in the Southern economy, as cotton prices both boomed and then began to dip. By 1830, prices had bottomed out in at 9 cents per pound, and Southerners searching for the cause narrowed in on Federal tariffs, specifically the Tariff of 1828. Newspapers such as the Charleston Mercury on August 3 argued that the tariff resulted in the “annihilation of commerce'...

  2. Charleston Women Discuss Support of States Rights
    date January 7, 1833map CHARLESTON, South Carolinatags Economy, Government, Slavery, War, Women

    Women like Laura Margaret Cole Smith of South Carolina were not blind to the implications of politics for the Union as a whole. Upon receiving news of the 1832 Nullification Crisis, Laura wrote to her cousin Camille explaining her opinions on the state of the Union. Smith held steadfastly to her belief in South Carolina's states rights. Although the prospect of war saddened her because her father and...

  3. John C. Calhoun Resigns as Vice-President of the United States
    date December 28, 1832map RICHLAND, South Carolinatags Economy

    John C. Calhoun led an ambitious political life. He sat in James Monroe's Cabinet in the 1810s and 1820s. Then, in the hotly contested presidential election of 1824, Calhoun ran, but resigned himself to second place, where he neatly fit in as John Quincy Adams' vice president. In a time when political party affiliations were never stable, Calhoun aligned himself with Andrew Jackson half-way through...

  4. Land not fit for Man or Beast
    date August 3, 1836 to August 6, 1836map ROWAN, North Carolinatags Agriculture

    The grass was greener in Virginia. News from Thomas Anderson to brother Robert Anderson took three days to reach Rockbridge County, VA from Houston, North Carolina. The letter detailed the hardships of the North Carolina soil and terrain paying toll on the farmers and well being of Robert's brother, Thomas, whom he had left behind to care for the farm when he left for Virginia. Thomas explained...