The American Revolution
Chapter 8
Stirrings of a Revolution
When Great Britain had to tax
the colonists in order to have
money to pay for the French
and Indian War, colonists
became very angry. At first they
complained that their rights as
British citizens had been
violated, and they wanted King
George III to recognize those
rights. After a while, some of
the colonists started to think
that freedom from Great
Britain would be the best idea.
King George III of England
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. The people
who were faithful to the
king thought that talk
about becoming
independent was treason.
Stirrings of a Revolution
In South Carolina, the people with
the most political power were
wealthy Low Country landowners.
Many of them were Patriots who
thought they needed to be free
from Great Britain. By 1774,
Patriots were getting tired of Great
Britain, and South Carolina’s
General Committee of 99 created a
new governing body for South
Carolina called the Provincial
Congress.
Stirrings of a Revolution
In 1776, the Provincial Congress adopted South Carolina’s first
constitution that would serve as the foundation of the government
until the disagreements with Great Britain could be resolved and
was adopted before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
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
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) and wrote the constitution
so the Low Country would have more representation in the
legislature.
Middleton
Plantation,
Charleston,
SC
Stirrings of a Revolution
In 1774, at the First
Continental Congress, the
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
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 First
Continental Congress
ended, they made plans
to increase the colonial
militias in case Great
Britain declared war. In
South Carolina, the
Provincial Congress
began preparations for a
stronger militia.
Stirrings of a Revolution
The plan for a stronger
militia was a good idea.
When 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.
Stirrings of a Revolution
“Founding Fathers”
by John Buxton
After the battles of
Lexington and Concord, the
Second Continental
Congress met in
Philadelphia. The colonists
had to discuss the topic of
independence. At first, all of
the colonies had concerns
about voting for
independence. South
Carolina voted against
fighting for independence .
Stirrings of a Revolution
When a second vote was taken, South
Carolina voted yes, along with 11
other colonies (New York, the only
colony to have more loyalists, than
South Carolina, did not vote). On July
4, 1776, the Declaration was signed,
included were the signatures of South
Carolina delegates: Edward Rutledge,
Thomas Lynch Jr., Thomas Heyward
Jr., and Arthur Middleton. The
Declaration changed the focus of the
struggle from a fight for equality to a
fight for freedom.
The Declaration of Independence
listed the complaints of the
colonists against the British.
Stirrings of a Revolution
Remember him? John
Rutledge was the first
South Carolina
“president.”
After the Declaration of
Independence was signed, some South
Carolinians felt that the temporary
constitution needed to be replaced by
a more permanent one. In 1778, a
new constitution was adopted. It
changed the “president” of the state to
“governor”, the representation in
legislature was to be more evenly
distributed, and the Church of
England would no longer be the
official, state-supported church of
South Carolina.
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.
The War Begins
The state was divided into two main groups: patriots and
loyalists.
Patriots were colonists who supported the Continental Congress
and independence. Most were from the Low Country and served
in local militias. Partisans were patriots fought the British using
guerilla warfare tactics (this will be discussed later).
Loyalists were loyal to the king and were mostly found in the Up
Country. Patriots nicknamed loyalists “Tories”.
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 king or
the principals of freedom and democracy.
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.
British battle map of Sullivan’s Island
The War Begins
British battle map of Sullivan’s Island
The British had a
three part strategy:
three ships would be
stationed on the islands
southwest side, nine
ships on the southeast
side, and British troops
were to march over
from Long Island and
attack the fort.
Unfortunately, their
strategy fell apart,
completely.
The War Begins
The three British ships on the
southwest got stuck in the mud
and became easy targets for the
American guns. The other nine
ships had to sail in deep water to
keep from running aground,
which meant they had to travel
directly in front of American
guns. 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!
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 and
provided armor for the
fort.
The War Begins
Patriot
uniform
Crescent
moon
In recognition of this
important
contribution, South
Carolina added the
Palmetto tree to the
flag of South
Carolina. The
crescent on the flag is
not a crescent moon,
but a reproduction of
the crescent worn on
the hats of the
soldiers.
The War Begins
During the battle, 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.
The Southern Campaign
There three phases of the war.
Most of the battles in the first
phase happened in New
England. After the British
were defeated at Trenton and
Saratoga, they decided to try
again to capture Charles
Town. The second phase of
the war took place in the
South, and this time, Charles
Town wasn’t so lucky.
The Southern Campaigns
The British sieged
(surrounded and cut off
all of the supplies) Charles
Town. After the harbor
was blockaded and supply
lines were cut off, the
Patriot troops, who were
trapped on the peninsula,
were forced to surrender.
Map from 1711 showing the
Charles Town Harbor
The Southern Campaign
In South Carolina, the
British hoped to find a
large number of loyalists
to help their cause. They
wanted the loyalists who
remained neutral would
help the British control
the state and help them
win the war.
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.
The Southern Campaign
Bloody Banastre Tarleton.
One British colonel who earned a
reputation for being merciless was
named Banastre Tarleton. At the
Battle of Waxhaws, Tarleton
allowed his troops 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.
Contributions to the War Effort
The British were, however,
able to convince Native
Americans to join the war.
At first, the Native
Americans avoided getting
involved, but after the
British promised to return
control of the west to the
Native Americans.
Supporting the British, the
Cherokee attacked colonists.
Contributions to the War Effort
The British also made
promises to African
Americas. Although most of
them remained slaves in the
South, the British promised
freedom to slaves who fought
against the patriots. The
slaves, however, did not get
the freedom that they were
expecting; some were taken
and sold back into slavery.
Contributions to the War Effort
Some slaves even served in the
Continental Army. At first, South
Carolina was afraid of slave revolts
and didn’t even want to allow
slaves to work as cooks. Later,
when more manpower was needed,
laws were changed to allow 1/3 of
the militia to be made up of slaves,
but they were not allowed to be
soldiers. Unlike Britain, South
Carolina did not offer slaves their
freedom in exchange for their
military service.
Contributions to the War Effort
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.
Women in took active
roles on both sides of the
war. While the men were
fighting, women managed
farms and plantations.
Some served as
messengers, nurses, and
gave their houses and
their fortunes to support
the cause.
Battle for the Back Country
While many men enlisted
in the Continental Army,
some men joined small
militia groups known as
partisans. Partisans used
guerilla (not gorilla)
warfare tactics that used
hit and run ambushes.
Battle for the Back Country
The three main partisan
leaders were:
•Thomas Sumter “the
Gamecock” from the Back
Country
•Francis Marion “the Swamp
Fox” from the Northeast
corner of SC (near Myrtle
Beach)
•Andrew Pickens “the
Wizard Owl” from the Up
Country
Andrew
Pickens
Francis
Marion
Thomas Sumter
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 a
partisan fighting force.
Sumter and his troops
attacked British supply lines
in the Upcountry,
frustrating the British and
giving hope to the Patriots.
Battle for the Back Country
Francis Marion used
similar methods on the
British. He earned his
nickname by
disappearing into the
swamps after the
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.
Battle for the Back Country
The Battle of Camden was a major defeat
for the regular Continental Army. This
loss meant that British now controlled
almost all of South Carolina. This could
have been avoided if American General
Gates had traveled slowly though patriot
so they could rest and get supplies. In
addition to the troops being hungry and
tired, the North Carolina militia men
involved in this battle were were not
trained to deal with regular British forces.
They panicked and fled, leaving the
Continental Army to be defeated.
Battle for the Back Country
The turning point for the American
Revolution in the South was at King’s
Mountain. Loyalist forces and British
regular army. Mountain men from
North and South Carolina attacked
the British troops from behind rocks
and trees. The British lost a lot of
men and 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.
Battle for the Back Country
Diagram of Cowpens battle events
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.
Battle for the Back Country
The partisans, under the
leadership of Andrew Pickens,
led the attack; they fired two
volleys and then fled the field,
tricking the British forces into
thinking that the Americans
were retreating. Instead, the
partisans lured the British into
the guns of the American
army. The British were
soundly defeated and pulled
out of South Carolina heading
to Virginia.
The End and the Beginning
Lord Cornwallis surrenders at
Yorktown, VA
The Battle of Cowpens was the
beginning of the end of the British
in America. After leaving South
Carolina, British troops were soon
cornered in Yorktown, Virginia
and forced them 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.