Sunday, August 25, 2013

Southern Plantations

When you think of the southern plantations you may think of the movie "Gone with the Wind". The definition of a plantation is an estate where crops are grown for cash. These crops can be cotton, sugar and even tobacco.

Southern Plantations
Southern plantations make one drift back in time.
 
Southern plantations go way back to the days of the slaves. Plantation owners used these slaves as workers to pick their crops and even clean their homes. These old southern homes were beautiful and they defined history.

Southern plantations and their styles date back to the 17th century. You can find the most beautiful and famous plantation homes in states like Louisiana, Texas and Georgia. Louisiana offers the Beauregard House, which was built in 1833, and the Bocage Plantation of 1801. Today these plantations are considered to be historical landmarks.

Historical plantations are located throughout South Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia and Tennessee just to name a few. Some of the most historic plantations can be found in South Carolina.

Some of the most popular are the Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens, Drayton Hall and Magnolia Plantation and Its Garden. Located in Franklin Tennessee is the historical Carton Plantation. This home was the biggest Confederate Hospitals during the Civil War.

Southern Plantation
Southern plantation with a white swing is pictured.
Though many of the older and popular plantations have been converted to museums or even hotels, there are many home contractors out there that can build you your own plantation homes. These builders are often found down south since a lot of land is needed to be considered a plantation.
If you can't afford to build your own plantation, wouldn't it be fun to visit one. In some southern states like Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana, there are plenty of tour companies out there that offer a chance of a lifetime.

For a pre-determined fee you can tour some of the souths most beautiful, famous and most historic plantations. If you are planning a tour down south, look up any tour company online and get the best tour you can. It truly is a chance of a lifetime.

If you are planning a wedding and you live down south, wouldn't a plantation wedding be a dream come true. Check out the local plantations, some of them will rent out the plantation for a wedding or a party.

There are even some plantations that have been turned into hotels too. Check with your local real estate agent next time you are planning a trip to Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, South Carolina and other wonderful southern states.

Rental Picture ...

There are some plantations that have been turned into apartments. You can rent these apartments and get an idea what life was life back on a true southern plantation.

There is a great deal of information on this website on southern plantations, the history behind them, who lived there and what the life and the culture was like. It was nothing like the life we have today.
Slavery shamed the South, but there was also a separate life that needs to be remembered that is both romantic and difficult. Living in those times was different and if you knew even some of what life was like back on the plantation you would be surprised.

Life may not have been like "Gone with the Wind" but it needs to be remembered nonetheless.

Southern Plantation Life

The life in a southern plantation in the olden days describes the story about the system of production. It basically outlines the complete procedure of starting the process of cultivation. Right from the beginning, the southern region has been dependent upon its crops to earn its living. These crops were sold to raise the economy of the southern area.

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Life on the Plantation
In the 18th century the major crops that were cultivated in the southern plantation region were rice and tobacco.

Gradually the economy boost that was brought about in the 19th century was due to the introduction and enhancement of the cultivation of cotton.

Since the procedure of starting and maintaining a plantation farm is a manual and toiling process, the owners of these plantation units needed a vast amount of labor. On the other hand, they need to ensure that the labor was cheap, so that they do not spend much in the cultivation process. Hence, the concept of importing slaves into the region.

This became one of the most distinguishing features of the southern plantation area. Every big house that was placed in the center of the farm had the owners staying there. They lived an aristocratic life, surrounded by the numerous slaves, who toiled day in day out in their fields.

There were different varieties of southern plantation life. On one hand, there were lords and ladies who were extremely rich and lived a life of pure luxury. They owned a lot of slaves, and their days were filled with parties and hunting sprees.

They were fond of wearing the finest clothes and jewelry. The parties were famous for the delicious and variety of cuisines that they had. Here the slaves were generally forbidden to write or read. The difference between the owner's and the slaves was very stark. The owners lived a life of refinement and aristocracy, while the slaves were left to fight a constant battle against poverty.

Big Farm versus Small Farm ...

However, on the other hand, there were smaller plantations. These were ordinary farms, which had fewer slaves. The owners of these plantations were used to a life of simplicity. They were in a low income bracket as compared to their wealthy counterparts. They were more interested in concentrating on their cultivation and took a lot of interest in the plantations. On the other side, their influence on the local and state affairs was negligible.

The distinction that was made in the class and color of people gathered a lot of attention. Due to this the southern plantation life became the symbol of slavery and discrimination. Till this day, the issue of race gathers immense momentum in any debate when this region comes into the discussion. However, we need to be aware that the "big white houses" and "large plantations" with "hundreds of slaves" is basically a misconception.

The southern plantation life mostly consisted of small farms that lacked any significant number of slaves. These individuals were keenly interested in spending time with their families. For them their life revolved around their children. They were God-fearing people who believed in attending church masses regularly.

Thus, southern plantation life would differ widely from region to region and from large plantations to smaller ones.

Wacky Facts about Plantations

The earliest plantations in history can be traced back to the Roman Empire where olive oil and wine was produced.

The Southern-most plantations in the United States were actually located in Hawaii.
 
Source: Internet

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