The correct answer is C) Rice.
The crop that South Carolina argued was essential to the survival of the colony was Rice.
Here, we are talking about one of the southern colonies in the North American territory during colonial times. The economy of these southern colonies was based on agriculture, and South Carolina was no exception.
Farmers from South Carolina grew basically two important cash crops, indigo, and rice.
To produce the number of crops needed to trade and export, landlords of large souther plantations in South Carolina had to use black slaves that worked for long hours in the plantation fields.