A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
Government in colonial sc 8 1.6
1. 8-1.6: Compare the development of
representative government in South
Carolina to representative government in
the other colonial regions, including the
proprietary regime, the period of royal
government, and South Carolina’s
Regulator Movement
2. Other Colonies South Carolina Colony
Had a legislative
assembly to make laws
Most had a bicameral
assembly (2 houses)
Legislative assembly that
made laws (including tax
laws)
Proprietors & elite had
greater representation than
the common man
The Grand Council decided
that each group should
have an equal voice in govt.
regardless of inproportional
representation
Later, the Commons House
of Assembly was created to
represent the people
3. Most English colonies when the joint stock
companies could no longer name colonial
governors; thus the settlements became royal
colonies
King appointed governors in royal colonies
Change resulted b/c the king wanted control
over the wealth or to limit a colony’s
independence
SC became a royal colony by invitation of the
colonist
4. Tensions grew between the colonists
and the Proprietors b/c:
o Absentee landlords collected rent but offered little
protection
o Proprietors seen the colonists as disobedient &
believed they made little profit from the rent
•The Council protested to the king about their
mistreatment
•The Proprietors appealed against the idea of a
royal colony
•A financial agreement was made between the king
and the Proprietors…… making…….
5. Carolina was made a royal colony and later
split into two colonies, North & South
Carolina
SC continued to use their established style of
government, but now had a governor who
was appointed by the kings and not the
Proprietors
Royal Governor's powers were limited b/c of
the colonial assemblies who controled the
taxes and set his salary
6.
7. Royal governor established townships in the
backcountry to encourage migration
Settlers established sustenance farms there
This caused animosity between the
Lowcountry and the backcountry
Traders & woodsmen were the first to settle
in the backcountry
They were seen as the “uncivilized” by the
elite (rich plantation owners) who lived in the
Lowcountry
8. The backcountry’s white population
outnumbered that of the Lowcountry due to
the migration from the coast & the Scotch
Irish & German immigrants from Pennsylvania
Backcountry still had much less
representation
They paid taxes
but never really
got anything in
return
Scotch Irish immigrants
9. No law enforcement in the backcountry
resulted in the settlers taking matters into
their own hands… this was called the
Regulator movement
No courts in the backcountry
Regulators acted as vigilantes
Movement provided law & order through
“self- regulation” that soon turned lawless
The “guilty” were hanged or beaten to death
without a jury trail; violating their rights as
Englishmen
10. Eventually the SC government came to the aid
of the backcountry settlers by setting up
seven circuit courthouses around the colony
to provide justice, law & order to the region
Representation continued to be imbalanced
between the backcountry and the Lowcountry
