USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Indigo was used to dye clothes blue. It was very valuable to plantation owners and farmers in South Carolina because it could grow on land that was not suited for tobacco or rice. Indigo would prove to be South Carolina’s second most valuable crop.

Detailed explanation-2: -Natural indigo is obtained from a variety of plants, the most widely used one being indigofera tinctoria. This shrub grows wild and is cultivated in tropical areas throughout the world. Indigo powder-the famous blue dye-is extracted from the leaves of the indigo plant.

Detailed explanation-3: -The primary use for indigo is as a dye for cotton yarn, mainly used in the production of denim cloth suitable for blue jeans; on average, a pair of blue jeans requires just 3 grams (0.11 oz) to 12 grams (0.42 oz) of dye. Smaller quantities are used in the dyeing of wool and silk.

Detailed explanation-4: -Indigo was grown in early South Carolina to produce blue dye that was exported to England for use in the British textile industry.

Detailed explanation-5: -For 50 years, starting in the late 1740s, indigo was a major South Carolina cash crop, second only to rice. At one time, the extracted pigment, dried and shaped into circular cakes, was so prized that it was sometimes called blue gold, and used as currency-even as barter for slaves.