Eliza Lucas was the daughter of a South Carolinian plantation owner, who was also a British military officer. Lucas’ father had to leave due to a conflict in the Caribbean with the Spanish, so Lucas was left in charge of the plantations. Since she had lots of knowledge in botany, Lucas conducted many experiments, which made her a famous. One of her most important works is that she established the cultivation of indigo in South Carolina. Indigo was a very important factor in the economy of South Carolina. She later married Charles Pinckney, an important political leader, and had three children, two of whom became generals during the Revolutionary War and important political officers in the government (Marcus 72). Since Lucas came from a prominent…show more content… She wrote about many different topics to all these people, but her main objective was to inform them about something that happened, like her husband’s death (Marcus 77), or about business, like about her father’s plantation affairs (Marcus 75). However, the tone of the letter depends on who she is writing to. If it is her friends, the tone is more friendly and casual. She also usually talks about how she feels and gossip. With her father, the tone is similar to Lucas writing to her friends, but there is also a level of reverence towards her father. Lucas mainly writes to her father about the plantation business and family affairs. The most notable change in tone is when she is writing to other businessmen. She writes very formally and very directly. I believe it is because she was a powerful woman in the 1700s, no man would take her seriously with business matters. In Lucas’ letters, there are many different themes mentioned that were discussed in this course. In on letter, she mentions some things about slaves, which reveals her stand on slavery. She taught them how to read and wants to educate other slave children (Marcus 76). At that time, it was unusual to treat the slaves humanely. Another obvious theme that is occuring throughout all her letters is that Lucas is a woman. Not only does she write about “typical” things a married woman would do, she also writes about business
