Day 12 - Indigo Production in the United States

Indigo Plantation in South Carolina photo Stanford.edu

 

The United States has the shortest history of indigo production partly because we were not  heavily colonized by any European countries until the 1700's.  In New York during the 1650's, Dutch settlers tried to grow indigo but found the climate unsuitable and looked to other markets. It took almost 100 years, and the help of slave labor, that indigo was planted in the French settlement of Louisiana.  In South Carolina in 1747 when Eliza Lucas Pinckney, born in Antigua to British parents, was looking for a crop to support her family's flagging plantation. Her father sent her seeds and a skilled indigo grower from Montserrat, who later tried to sabotage her and was fired. Still trying  Pinckney's success with growing indigo and sharing seeds with her neighbors fostered what became a leading industry in the south.

Eliza Pinckney

Eliza Pinckney's vision and entrepreneurial skills changed the whole southern economy.  She is at once celebrated for her unique ideas and ability to persevere in an unknown market but also caused the increased importation and higher paid prices for slaves. Slaves in South Carolina became some of the most expensive ones to buy based on the profits gained by indigo plantations. What didn't change was the harsh treatment of slaves. When facilities were built to produce indigo dye, slaves were exposed to the hazardous results of processing indigo. The average life span of a healthy slave was only 5-7 years. It is not known if Pinckney treated her slaves well but noted in letters that she did teach some of them to read. In her later years she became an avid supporter of the American Revolution which eventually led to Americas independence and the end of slavery.