Document 3.9 Laboring for Indigo, 1773

Laboring for Indigo, 1773

Henry Mouzon Jr. was born in 1741 on his family’s South Carolina plantation. Sent to France for his education, Mouzon returned to the colonies and became an important civil engineer and surveyor. In 1771 he was commissioned to survey the boundaries of North and South Carolina. As was the custom at the time, Mouzon’s map contained visual depictions of local society. This image from his map shows slaves working on a South Carolina indigo plantation.

image
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University