Relations Between Natives &

European Settlers

Standard 8-1.2: Compare motives,

activities, and accomplishments of

the exploration of South Carolina an

North America by the Spanish,

French, and English.

The Spanish

• Hernando de Soto was the first

European to have contact with Native

Americans in SC.

He was in search of GOLD….

But only found

COPPER!

• When the Spanish didn’t find

gold, they started setting up

encomiendas (large

plantations) where Native

Americans were put to work

(enslaved) to produce wealth

for their Spanish Masters.

• Disease &

overwork

decimated the

native

population.

Small pox Typhus

CholeraMeas

les

•African slaves were

brought to SC to

replace the

dwindling Native

population (1700’s)

•Slaves worked on

plantations and in

mines

The Spanish built cities & established

universities, transferring a complex social

class system, their style of government, &

their Catholic religion to the New World.

De Soto’s descriptive journals of the

Mississippians gives modern day historians

a wealth of information about the early

Native Americans.

The French

• Searched for the Northwest

Passage

• Established settlements in

Montreal & Quebec

• Only Catholic French were

allowed to immigrate to the

New World

• They used the rivers to travel

and established good

relationships with the natives

in order to trade for furs.

The English

• Claimed lands along the east coast

of North America, for the king.

• Later permanent settlements in the

area named Virginia and New

England

• Settlers seen prospects of gold and

tobacco in these settlements

• Others were fleeing religious

persecution & founded societies

based on their shared religious

values

The English

• All English settlers brought their culture,

including language, Protestant religions,

and ideas about self-government to the

New World

South Carolina Colony

Neither France nor Spain could establish

a permanent settlement in SC

Conditions at the settlements & trouble

back in the mother countries resulted in

them abandoning their SC settlements

Spain founded the San Miguel de

Gualdape settlement along the

Waccamaw River near present –

day Georgetown (1520’s).. But

abandoned it

South Carolina Colony

The French founded Charelsfort near

present-day Beaufort, but abandoned it

in the 1560’s

Spain tried again by founding San Felipe

on the ruins of the French Charlesfort

(lasted 10 years)

Native Americans attacked the

settlement… survivors fled to

St. Augustine, FL.

South Carolina Colony

The English succeeded with their

permanent colony- Charles Town

(1670) Now known as Charleston

New World

Settlements