Final answer:
The South Carolina colony had a diverse population, largely due to its large African and African-American community, which was the majority by 1720.
Step-by-step explanation:
The South Carolina colony's population was notably diverse due to its substantial African and African-American population, which emerged as the majority by 1720. This majority was mainly due to the importation of enslaved Africans, who were skilled in the cultivation and processing of rice and indigo, the colony's main cash crops. This deeply entwined relationship with African slavery led to a unique cultural development, particularly in Charleston, which became a significant center for culture, commerce, and political power rooted in the slave trade. By the early 1700s, nearly half of the colony's white settlers were from Barbados, and they brought with them a well-established system of slavery which they used to their advantage in the cultivation of the profitable crops of rice and indigo.
The diversity of the South Carolina colony not only refers to its population but also to its economic practices. The region depended on a variety of trades, such as shipbuilding materials like turpentine and tar from North Carolina and tobacco from Virginia and North Carolina. This economic diversity facilitated the growth of South Carolina into a thriving economy.
However, the heavy reliance on slavery also led to a society fundamentally shaped by the brutal realities of forced labor, as evidenced by the significant number of enslaved Africans outnumbering Europeans and the harsh conditions they faced, particularly in rice cultivation.