The American Revolution Chapter 8

1. The American RevolutionChapter 8

2. What did colonists want King George III to do?

3. 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

4. Colonial opinion about freedom different…

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

6. Who had the political power in South Carolina? What was the name of the new government created by the General Committee of 99?

7. Stirrings of a Revolution South Carolina The people with the most political power were wealthy Low Country landowners. • Many were Patriots who thought they needed to be free from Great Britain. By 1774, Patriots were getting tired of Great Britain South Carolina’s General Committee of 99 created a new governing body for South Carolina called the Provincial Congress.

8. 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

9. Define bicameral What three things did the 1776 South Carolina Constitution establish?

10. Stirrings of a Revolution The constitution created a bicamerallegislation (one that has two houses): • A lower house legislature of representatives that were elected by the people of the colony • An upper house legislature that was elected by the representatives of the lower house • A president of the colony, elected by the upper house, who could veto laws

11. What did the Low Country patriots do in the 1776 constitution to make sure that they kept the political power?

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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)

15. Stirrings of a Revolution Before the 1st Continental Congress ended: Plans were made toincrease the colonial militiasin 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.

16. 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

17. What group met after the battles of Lexington and Concord? How did South Carolina originally feel about fighting for independence?

18. 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 South Carolina voted against fighting for independence. “Founding Fathers” by John Buxton

19. 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

20. How did the Declaration of Independence change the focus of the struggle between the colonies and Britain?

21. Stirrings of a Revolution Declaration of Independence • Changedthe 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

22. The three changes that the 1778 South Carolina Constitution made… 1 2 3

23. Stirrings of a Revolution 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 The Church of England would no longer be the official, state-supported church of South Carolina John Rutledge was the first South Carolina “president”

24. How did the large loyalist population in South Carolina create a problem for the state?

25. The War Begins After the Declaration of Independence was signed… ManySouth 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

26. Patriots Loyalists Neutrals Describe the attitudes towards freedom of the German immigrants in the Up Country

27. The War Begins The state was divided into 3 main groups: patriots,loyalists, and neutrals loyalist. Patriotswere colonists who supported the Continental Congress and independence • Most were from the Low Country and served in local militias Loyalistswere loyal to the king • Were mostly found in the Up Country • Patriots nicknamed loyalists “Tories”

28. 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

29. Why was British capture of Charles Town important (what did they want to do)?

30. 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

31. The British 3 part strategy to capture Sullivan’s Island

32. The War Begins British battle map of Sullivan’s Island

33. The War Begins The British had a three part strategy: 3 ships would be stationed on the islands southwest side 9 ships on the southeast side British troops were to march over from Long Island and attack the fort Unfortunately, their strategy fell apart, completely

34. Describe what actuallyhappened during the Battle of Sullivan’s Island.

35. The War Begins The 3 British ships on the southwest got stuck in the mud and became easy targets for the Patriot guns. 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 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!

36. 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

37. Describe the symbols on the South Carolina flag and why they are there.

38. 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 But a reproduction of the crescent worn on the hats of the soldiers known as a gorget. Patriot uniform Crescent moon

39. Sgt. William Jasper at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island

40. 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.

41. The Three Phases of the Revolutionary War

42. 3 Phases of the War Most of the battles in the 1st phase happened in New England After the British were defeated at Trenton and Saratoga, they decided to try again to capture Charles Town. The 2nd phase of the war took place in the South • Charles Town wasn’t so lucky

43. The British capture of Charles Town

44. 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

45. Why did the British want to recruit people who lived in America? What did the British hope that southern loyalists would do?

46. 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.

47. Why the British did not get the southern loyalist support that they wanted:

48. 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.

49. 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. The Southern Campaign Bloody Banastre Tarleton

50. The British convinced the Native Americans to get involved in the Revolution because…