Lockley, Tim. (2005) Rural poor relief in colonial South Carolina. Historical Journal , Vol.48 (No.4). pp. 955-976. ISSN 0018-246X

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Abstract

This article explores the rural poor relief system of colonial South Carolina. It finds that poor relief was substantially more generous and more readily available in rural areas of South Carolina than elsewhere in British North America, or indeed in the entire Anglophone world. It suggests that this was because elite vestrymen had deep-seated concerns about the position of the white poor in a society that was dominated by African slavery. Generous relief of adult paupers was therefore a public demonstration of the privileges of race to which all whites were entitled. Elites in rural South Carolina also made considerable efforts to provide a free education for pauper children that would inculcate industry and usefulness among those who might become future public burdens. The serious attention paid to the situation of the white poor in colonial South Carolina was therefore part of an effort to ensure the unity of white society by overcoming the divisions of class.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	E History America > E151 United States (General) H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts > History > Comparative American Studies Faculty of Arts > History
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Public welfare -- South Carolina -- History, South Carolina -- History -- 1775-1865
Journal or Publication Title:	Historical Journal
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	0018-246X
Date:	2005
Volume:	Vol.48
Number:	No.4
Page Range:	pp. 955-976
Identification Number:	10.1017/S0018246X05004875
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/302

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