The American Revolution
Chapter 8
1
•What did colonists want King
George III to do?
2
Stirrings of a Revolution
Angry Colonists
•Angry over being taxed to
pay for the French & Indian
War
•Complained that their
rights as British citizens had
been violated
•Wanted King George III to
recognize those rights
•Some of the colonists started to
think that freedom from Great
Britain would be the best idea.
King George III of England
3
Colonial opinion about freedom
different…
4
Stirrings of a Revolution
Colonists who were accused of
treason could be locked in a
pillory for everyone to see.
American colonists
disagreed about what the
colonies should do about
Great Britain.
•Some wanted to become
independent.
•Those faithful to the king
thought that talk about
becoming independent was
treason.
5
Who had the political power in
South Carolina?
What was the name of the new
government created by the General
Committee of 99?
6
Stirrings of a Revolution
South Carolina
oThe people with the most political
power were wealthy Low Country
landowners.
o Many were Patriots who thought they
needed to be free from Great Britain.
oBy 1774, Patriots were getting tired of
Great Britain
oSouth Carolina’s General Committee of
99 created a new governing body for
South Carolina called the Provincial
Congress.
7
Stirrings of a Revolution
In 1776:
The Provincial Congress adopted South Carolina’s
first constitution
Would serve as the foundation of the government until
the disagreements with Great Britain could be resolved
Adopted before the Declaration of Independence was
signed
8
Define bicameral
What three things did the 1776
South Carolina Constitution
establish?
9
Stirrings of a Revolution
The constitution created a bicameral legislation
(one that has two houses):
1. A lower house legislature of representatives that
were elected by the people of the colony
2. An upper house legislature that was elected by the
representatives of the lower house
3. A president of the colony, elected by the upper
house, who could veto laws
10
What did the Low Country patriots do
in the 1776 constitution to make
sure that they kept the political
power?
11
Stirrings of a Revolution
The problems that existed between Low Country colonists and Up
Country colonists could be seen in South Carolina’s first
constitution.
•The Low Country wanted to keep the power in the hands of
the patriots and the elite (rich)
•Wrote the constitution so the Low Country would have
more representation in the legislature.
Middleton
Plantation,
Charleston,
SC
12
Stirrings of a Revolution
At the 1st Continental Congress (1774)
South Carolina representatives were Low
Country elite and they served important roles
• John Rutledge helped to draft a letter
to the British people explaining the
colonial position
•Thomas Lynch and Christopher
Gadsden designed an agreement stating
the colonists would not buy or sell
British goods.
John
Rutledge
13
Stirrings of a Revolution
The American fighting forces were broken into three
main categories:
The Continental Army (the official army)
The Militia (volunteer soldiers)
The Partisans (guerilla warfare fighters)
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Stirrings of a Revolution
Militia men were volunteers, they
were not professional soldiers. They
used their own guns and usually did
not have uniforms.
Before the 1st Continental
Congress ended:
Plans were made to
increase the colonial
militias in case Great
Britain declared war.
In South Carolina:
The Provincial Congress
began preparations for a
stronger militia.
15
Stirrings of a Revolution
The plan for a stronger militia was a
good idea.
Britain found out that colonists
were stock piling weapons in the
towns of Concord and Lexington,
Massachusetts
The British’s attempt at taking
the gunpowder left several colonists
dead, and the rest of the colonists
angry.
 Known as the battles of …
Lexington & Concord
16
What group met after the battles of
Lexington and Concord?
How did South Carolina originally feel
about fighting for independence?
17
Stirrings of a Revolution
The 2nd Continental Congress
met in Philadelphia after the battles
of Lexington & Concord
•The colonists had to discuss the
topic of independence
•At 1st, all of the colonies had
concerns about voting for
independence
“Founding Fathers”
by John Buxton
South Carolina voted against
fighting for independence.
18
Stirrings of a Revolution
When a second vote was taken, SC voted
yes, along with 11 other colonies
• New York, the only colony to have more
loyalists, than SC, did not vote
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration was
signed, included were the signatures of SC
delegates:
Edward Rutledge,
Thomas Lynch Jr.,
Thomas Heyward Jr., &
Arthur Middleton
The Declaration of
Independence
listed the complaints of the
colonists against the British
19
How did the Declaration of
Independence change the focus of
the struggle between the colonies and
Britain?
20
Stirrings of a Revolution
Declaration of Independence
 Changed the focus of the struggle
from a fight for equality to a fight
for freedom
 Some South Carolinians felt that
the temporary constitution needed
to be replaced by a more
permanent one
21
The three changes that the 1778 South
Carolina Constitution made…
1
2
3
22
Stirrings of a Revolution
John Rutledge was the
first South Carolina
“president”
In 1778, a new constitution was
adopted
1. It changed the “president” of
the state to “governor”
2. The representation in legislature
was to be more evenly
distributed
3. The Church of England would
no longer be the official, statesupported church of South
Carolina
23
How did the large loyalist population
in South Carolina create a problem
for the state?
24
The War Begins
After the Declaration of Independence was
signed…
Many South Carolinians signed up for
the armies of both sides
The only colony with more loyalists than South Carolina was
New York
This caused a civil war
within the colony
There were over
137 battles and skirmishes
within South Carolina alone
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Patriots
Loyalists
Neutrals
Describe the attitudes towards
freedom of the German immigrants
in the Up Country
26
The War Begins
The state was divided into 3 main groups: patriots,
loyalists, and neutrals loyalist.
Patriots were colonists who supported the
Continental Congress and independence
Most were from the Low Country and served in
local militias
Loyalists were loyal to the king
Were mostly found in the Up Country
Patriots nicknamed loyalists “Tories”
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The War Begins
Many people who lived in the Up Country
were not true loyalists
 They didn’t care who was in charge, they
wanted to live their life without anyone
interfering
These neutrals were typically German
immigrants who had…
no allegiance to the king or
the principals of freedom and democracy
28
Why was British capture of Charles
Town important (what did they
want to do)?
29
The War Begins
In June of 1776
Before the Declaration of Independence was
signed
The British decided to capture
Charles Town and use it as a
base to launch attacks into
other colonies
While the British were waiting
for reinforcements, they decided
to capture the unfinished fort on
Sullivan’s Island
30
The British 3 part strategy to capture
Sullivan’s Island
31
The War Begins
British battle map of Sullivan’s Island
32
The War Begins
The British had a three part
strategy:
1. 3 ships would be stationed on
the islands southwest side
2. 9 ships on the southeast side
3. British troops were to march
over from Long Island and
attack the fort
Unfortunately, their strategy fell
apart, completely
33
Describe what actually happened
during the Battle of Sullivan’s Island.
34
The War Begins
1. The 3 British ships on the
southwest got stuck in the mud
and became easy targets for the
Patriot guns.
2. The other 9 ships had to sail in
deep water to keep from
running aground
Which meant they had to travel
directly in front of American guns
3. The troops could not wade
from Long Island to Sullivan’s
Island because the water was too
deep and their gunpowder
would get wet.
Even today, boats still get stuck in
the mud, and the British were using
much bigger boats!
35
The War Begins
Palmettos are very
spongy because of their
fibrous trunks. The logs
were fitted together and
filled with sand to create
the walls of the fort.
The colonists were not
expecting the unfinished
fort to survive a British
attack
 But to their surprise it
did
The fort was made of
Palmetto logs
 which were spongy
Cannon balls either
bounced off, or became
stuck
Providing armor for the
fort
36
Describe the symbols on the South
Carolina flag and why they are there.
37
The War Begins
South Carolina added the
Palmetto tree to the flag of
South Carolina in
recognition of this important
contribution
The crescent on the flag is
not a crescent moon
Patriot
uniform
Crescent
moon
But a reproduction of the
crescent worn on the hats of
the soldiers known as a gorget.
38
Sgt. William Jasper at the Battle of
Sullivan’s Island
39
The War Begins
During the Battle of Fort Sullivan,
the flag flying over the fort was hit
by a cannon ball and fell outside
the fort.
Worried that men would lose their
courage when they saw the flag
fall…
Sgt. William Jasper ran outside the
fort, grabbed the flag, and tied it
to a cannon swab and put it back
up where everyone could see it.
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The Three Phases of the
Revolutionary War
41
3 Phases of the War
1. Most of the battles in the 1st
phase happened in New
England
2. After the British were
defeated at Trenton and
Saratoga, they decided to try
again to capture Charles
Town.
3. The 2nd phase of the war
took place in the South
–
Charles Town wasn’t so lucky
42
The British capture of Charles Town
43
The Southern Campaigns
The British siege
(surrounded and cut off all of
the supplies) Charles Town
The Patriot troops, who
were trapped on the
peninsula, were forced to
surrender
 After the harbor was
blockaded and supply lines
were cut off
Map from 1711 showing the
Charles Town Harbor
44
Why did the British want to recruit
people who lived in America?
What did the British hope that
southern loyalists would do?
45
The Southern Campaign
Because Great Britain was so far away, it was expensive to send
ships and supplies to the colonies.
 To help save money, the British wanted to find people already in
the colonies to help them fight
After losing at Saratoga and Trenton, the British moved to South
Carolina.
They thought that South Carolina’s large number of loyalists &
neutrals would help them control the state & win the war.
46
Why the British did not get the
southern loyalist support that they
wanted:
47
The Southern Campaign
If the British had treated the
colonists with respect, they
might have gotten the colonial
support they wanted.
Instead, the British treated
the colonists harshly, burning
churches, looting or
confiscating homes, and
harassing and mistreating the
colonists.
The remnants of Old Sheldon Church
still stand near Yemassee, SC.
The church was burned in both the
American Revolution and the America
Civil War.
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The Southern Campaign
Banastre Tarleton
Bloody Banastre Tarleton
British colonel who earned a
reputation for being merciless
At the Battle of Waxhaws, Tarleton
allowed his troops to murder
surrendering Virginians
 After this event, he became known as
Bloody Banastre Tarleton
Instead of scaring the Americans into
giving up their fight, he made them
angry and many neutrals and some
loyalists joined the patriot cause.
49
The British convinced the Native
Americans to get involved in the
Revolution because…
50
Contributions to the War Effort
Native Americans
The British were, able to convince
Native Americans to join the war
 At first, the Native Americans
avoided getting involved
Helped after the British promised
to return control of the west to the
Native Americans
 Supporting the British, the Cherokee
attacked colonists
51
What did the British promise to the
slaves who would fight with the
loyalists?
52
Contributions to the War Effort
African Americans
•The British promised freedom to
slaves who fought against the
patriots
• Although most of them remained
slaves in the South
• The slaves did not get the
freedom that they were expecting
•Some were taken and sold back
into slavery
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African Americans and Slaves
54
Contributions to the War Effort
African Americans
Some slaves served in the Continental Army
(PATRIOTS)
At first, South Carolina was afraid of slave revolts
and did not want to allow slaves to work in nonmilitary jobs like cooking, cleaning, tending
horses
55
Contributions to the War Effort
A need for more manpower
Laws were changed to allow 1/3 of the
militia to be made up of slaves, but…
 Slaves were not allowed to be soldiers
 Slave held non-military jobs like cooking,
cleaning, tending horses
Unlike Britain, South Carolina did not offer
slaves their freedom in exchange for their
military service
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Roles of women during the war
57
Contributions to the War Effort
Women
Emily Geiger
memorized a secret
message and kept
it out of the hands
of British.
Rebecca
Motte
sacrificed
two of her
houses to
the
Revolution.
•Took active roles on both sides
of the war
•Women managed farms and
plantations (the men were fighting)
• Some served as messengers,
nurses, and gave their houses and
their fortunes to support the
cause
•In order to protect their reputation,
women would NOT cook for camps full of
soldiers
58
Partisans
guerilla warfare tactics
59
Battle for the Back Country
Many men enlisted in the
Continental Army
Some men joined small militia
groups known as partisans
Partisans were patriots who
fought using guerilla warfare
tactics
“hit and run” ambushes,
attacking the British and
escaping before they could
retaliate
60
Battle for the Back Country
The 3 main partisan leaders
1. Thomas Sumter
“the Gamecock”
Andrew
Pickens
From the Back Country
2. Francis Marion
“the Swamp Fox”
Francis
Marion
From the Northeast corner of SC
(near Myrtle Beach)
3. Andrew Pickens
“the Wizard Owl”
From the Up Country
Thomas Sumter
61
Battle for the Back Country
Thomas Sumter was so important to
the war, Fort Sumter in the Charleston
Harbor was named after him.
Thomas Sumter started his
career as a partisan leader when
his house was burned by British
soldiers.
He responded by rallying back
country men into a partisan
fighting force.
Sumter and his troops
attacked British supply lines in
the Upcountry, frustrating the
British and giving hope to the
Patriots.
62
Battle for the Back Country
Francis Marion used similar
methods on the British.
Marion earned his
nickname by disappearing
into the swamps after
attacks.
Andrew Pickens earned his
nickname from the
Native Americans in the
Upcountry.
These limestone cliffs have caves that open
from the top down into the river
(the hole at the water line).
Francis Marion and his troops would use
these cliffs to “disappear” from the following
British army.
63
The Battle of Camden
64
Battle for the Back Country
The Battle of Camden
A major defeat for the regular Continental
Army
This loss meant that British now controlled
almost all of S. Carolina
 This could have been avoided if American
General Gates had traveled slowly so troops
could rest and get supplies.
 In addition to the troops being hungry and
tired, the North Carolina militia men involved
in this battle were not trained to deal with
regular British forces.
The Militia panicked and fled, leaving the
Continental Army to be defeated.
65
The Battle of King’s Mountain
66
Battle for the Back Country
King’s Mountain
The turning point for the American
Revolution in the South
Loyalist forces were camped out on the
mountain.
Mountain men from North & South
Carolina attacked the British troops from
behind rocks and trees.
The British lost a lot of men & tried to
surrender, but were offered no quarter by
Patriots in retaliation for British (especially
Bloody Tarleton’s) actions toward the
colonists.
After this battle, the British started to
retreat from the Up Country.
67
Battle for the Back Country
Soon after the British defeat at King’s Mountain, the
Continental Army and partisan groups cooperated at
the Battle of Cowpens.
 Partisan groups had a reputation among the British
troops of running away
 The American commander was counting on this
reputation as he created the battle plan.
68
Battle of Cowpens
Diagram of Cowpens battle events
69
70
The Battle of Cowpens
How was the militia reaction at Cowpens similar
to what they did at Camden?
What did the British do after the Battle of
Cowpens?
71
Battle of Cowpens
The partisans, under the leadership of
Andrew Pickens, led the attack
They fired two volleys and then fled the
field
 Tricking the British into thinking
that the Americans were retreating.
The partisans had lured the British into a
trap
 The British were soundly defeated and
pulled out of South Carolina heading to
Virginia.
The Battle of Cowpens was the
beginning of the end of the British in
America.
72
Henry Laurens
73
The End and the Beginning
After leaving S. C., British troops
were soon cornered in Yorktown,
Virginia and forced to surrender.
South Carolinian Henry
Laurens, president of the
Continental Congress, was on the
committee that negotiated the
Treaty of Paris
 which ended the American
Revolution and opened the
door for the new nation of
America.
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