Terrain

• Rice flourished in vast swamplands along the coastal rivers of South Carolina. In 1744, Eliza Lucas Pinckney introduced indigo to America by way of the West Indies. This crop required higher ground and the slaves' tireless cultivation in the off-seasons.
  
  

Irrigation

• After clearing trees from the land using simple tools, West African and West Indian slaves built floodgates to regulate the movement of river water to the rice fields. Ebb and flow of the tide influenced the adjustment of these floodgates.
  
  

Woodlands

• Massive cypress and gum trees abounded in the varied climate of South Carolina. Rain--coupled with blazing heat and humidity in the spring and summer months--created perfect conditions for growth.
  
  

Landscape

• Savannas helped form a picturesque expanse of land. Large rivers wound through South Carolina before escaping into the Atlantic Ocean.
  
  

Gales

• Advancing westward from across the Atlantic Ocean, storms plagued South Carolina, disturbing the rich clay soil and causing widespread destruction.