Self-Sufficiency, Cotton, and Economic Development in the South Carolina Upcountry, 1800–1860
- 3 March 1985
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in The Journal of Economic History
- Vol. 45 (2) , 261-267
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050700033933
Abstract
The expansion of short-staple cotton production into the southern backcountry during the nineteenth century opened opportunities for backcountry planters and yeomen alike. But contrary to the claims made by agricultural reformers, South Carolina upcountry farmers did not neglect the production of foodstuffs. The Upcountry as a whole was self-sufficient in foodstuffs though a significant minority of farms failed to achieve self-sufficiency. Thus a limited local market in foodstuffs developed, but it did little to stimulate the development of towns in the region.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
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- Rednecks and Merchants: Economic Development and Social Tensions in the South Carolina Upcountry, 1865-1900Journal of American History, 1984
- An Econometric Study of Cotton Production and Trade, 1830-1860The Review of Economics and Statistics, 1971