Plantations

Living in Charleston, South Carolina, I have noticed the preservation of the southern plantation home. The South has tried to get rid of its history of slavery and racism, but they still preserve places that are affiliated or linked to those topics. In Charleston, plantations are huge tourist attractions. For example, Drayton Hall (pictured left), is one of the most popular in Charleston and people are willing to pay $15 to see it. That blows my mind because the house is the only neat attraction on the property. The tour shows the visitors some of the slave huts and marshland, but it is not worth $15 dollars in my opinion. Plantations are historical in both good and bad ways. The good is that the south has always been a major contributor to agricultural production. In the 1800's the economy and country depended on the plantations for vegetables, tobacco, cotton, etc. The country, today, still needs the south for agricultural production. To whites, this property represents history of early agriculture in the south. To African-Americans, these properties remind them of what their ancestors went through. I guess that is why most of the plantations visitors are white and not african-american. If cities had to get rid of whites only signs and integrate schools, why do plantations still exist? I am not against having them at all, but they do represent slavery. Plantations are a main of southern culture and history, which is why they remain a popular tourist attraction.