the american revolution chapter 8. stirrings of a revolution when great britain had to tax the...

The American RevolutionChapter 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


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.

Colonists who were accused of treason could be locked in a pillory for everyone to see.


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.


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 colony2. an upper house legislature that was elected by the representatives of the lower house3. a president of the colony, elected by the upper house, who could veto laws

Stirrings of a RevolutionThe 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


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


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.

Militia men were volunteers, they were not professional soldiers. They used their own guns and usually did not have uniforms.


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.


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 .

“Founding Fathers” by John Buxton

Stirrings of a RevolutionWhen 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.


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.

Remember him? John Rutledge was the first

South Carolina “president.”

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 BeginsThe 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

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.

British battle map of Sullivan’s Island

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

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.

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 War Begins

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.

Patriot uniform

Crescent moon

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


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.


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.


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.

Bloody Banastre Tarleton.

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.


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.


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.


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.

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.

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.


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 Thomas Sumter

Francis Marion

Andrew Pickens


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.

Thomas Sumter was so important to the war, Fort Sumter in the Charleston

Harbor was named after him.


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.


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.


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.


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.

Diagram of Cowpens battle events


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

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.

Lord Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, VA

the american revolution chapter 8. stirrings of a revolution when great britain had to tax the...

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