The Grim Years: Settling South Carolina, 1670-1720

Presented by Dr. John Navin, Coastal Carolina University 

As the thirteen colonies were established in the “New World” the roots of the American Revolution were planted. The vast colony of Carolina, divided in 1710 into North and South Carolina, saw rapid transformation in its early years. Issues arose with the English Lords Proprietors, trade with Native American tribes was lucrative but deadly for both sides, and the growing slave trade at the Port of Charles Town led to an economic dependence on slave labor. It was in South Carolina’s infancy that religious, political, and economic turmoil laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.

Dr. John Navin earned his master’s degree at Boston College and his Ph.D. at Brandeis University. A Boston native, John Navin joined the History department at Coastal Carolina University in 1999. He previously taught at Brandeis and Pfeiffer Universities. A specialist in Early American history, Navin has published works that focus on race, warfare, gender, and the impact of colonizing ventures on groups and individuals. In 2020, he published The Grim Years: Settling South Carolina, 1670-1720.

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