Causes of the

American Revolution

I. Cherokee War

A. The outbreak:1. Cherokee warriors allied with SC militia in helping Virginians fight

French and Indian war2. Infighting broke out between Indians and militia3. Cherokee warriors sought REVENGE for killing of their own by

killing whites4. Gov’r of SC threatened WAR ON CHEROKEE as retaliation!!5. Cherokee PEACE DELEGATION was imprisoned in FORT PRINCE

GEORGE (now under lake KEOWEE!)6. When the white soldiers in the fort killed the peace delegation,

CHEROKEE DECLARED WAR ON BACKCOUNTRY SETTLEMENTS !

I. Cherokee War

B. The Long Canes Massacre (Feb 1 1760)

1. Scots Irish from the Long Canes Settlement (near Greenwood) abandoned their village for fear of attack

2. On their way to Augusta GA they were attacked Cherokee

3. 23 Men, women, children killed, burned in mass grave

4. among them was Catherine Calhoun, grandmother of John C.

Calhoun (famous SC senator and US vice president!)

5. This was typical of the type of attacks common during the

Cherokee War

I. Cherokee War

C. End of Cherokee War:

1. British Army Sent 2 armies to march against Cherokee villages

a. Army of Gen. Archibald Mongomery (defeated in NC)

b. Army of Gen. James Grant (destroyed Cherokee farms)

2. Cherokee and British Colonists signed a peace treaty

D. In 1766, Cherokee and Colonists agreed to a CHEROKEE BOUNDARY

1. Limited Cherokee to NORTHWEST CORNER OF SC

2. Cherokee territory included present Greenville, Anderson,

Pickens, and Oconee.

II. The Regulator Crisis

A. Impact of Cherokee War on Backcountry of SC:

1. Cherokee develop lasting suspicion of SC Colonists

2. End of Cherokee War= further settlement of Backcountry and

increase in backcountry population

3. The Armies that marched into Cherokee Territory built/improved

roads in backcountry of SC

4. Many homes, settlements and farms were left abandoned by the

end of the war

II. The Regulator Crisis

B. Increased population and availability of “abandoned” property gives

rise to increasing crime

1. People assumed a “finders-keepers” mentality

2. Many people moving into the backcountry had no stable income

3. It became dangerous to travel/live in the backcountry as crime was

so rampant

4. Little/No Law and order as Govt/Courts were located far away in Charleston- Criminal activity in backcountry was mostly ignored

II. The Regulator Crisis

C. The “REGULATORS” UNITE!

1. REGULATORS: backcountry citizens united to stop criminals on their

own

a. Vigilante: citizens who take law into their own hands

b. Regulators communicated and were highly organized

c. Regulators went after “lawless” people in the backcountry

d. As they gained power, they became abusive/self-serving

II. The Regulator Crisis

D. Charles Woodmason helps the Regulators

1. Church of England missionary to backcountry from London

2. Horrified by conditions in backcountry

3. took up cause of regulators and tried to get SC Govt. to help

4. He wrote a petition that was signed by regulators

a. At first, CHAS. Govt threatened to arrest its signers!

b. Finally, Commons House agreed to Circuit Court Act of 1769

II. The Regulator Crisis

5. Circuit Court Act of 1769:

a. Divided SC into 7 COURT DISTRICTS:

(Georgetown, CHAS, Beaufort, Cheraw, Camden

Organgeburg, Ninety-Six)

b. Each district had a Courthouse and a Sheriff

c. Backcountry districts served as election districts for

representation in COMMONS HOUSE

E. Regulator Movement led to grudges between backcountry residents that BOILED OVER during American Revolution!!

III. Backcountry vs. Lowcountry

A. Backcountry (B.C.) had little trust in Lowcountry (L.C.) Govt:

1. B.C. was under-represented in Commons House

2. B.C. was the “buffer-zone” for L.C.

3. B.C. paid equal taxes as L.C. but got less services

4. B.C. got no protection from L.C. govt in time of need

B. Lowcountry “elite” looked down at Backcountry farmers

1. L.C. produced the money for the SC economy

2. L.C. did not want to share their power with B.C.

IV. French and Indian war leads to Revolution

A. Before French and Indian War, Britiain had treated colonies with

“SALUTARY NEGLECT”

1. British parliament allowed colonies to govern themselves

2. British parliament often didn’t enforce trade laws in colonies

3. SALUTARY NEGLECT allowed colonists to feel very independent

IV. French and Indian war leads to Revolution

B. Impact of French and Indian War on Colonists:

1. Proclamation line of 1763-

a. Britain Forbid colonists from moving WEST of Appalachians

b. Colonists felt that they’d EARNED this right by fighting war

2. British armies stayed in America after French and Indian war

a. Colonists saw this a sign of increasing TYRANNY

b. Would British troops be used against them?

3. Brit. Parliament needed colonies to help repay DEBT from war.

a. colonists had never paid taxes directly to Britain

b. colonists had no representatives in parliament

c. Taxes were not being used for the benefit of colonies

V. Taxation without Representation!!

A. Sugar Act (1764):

1. What it did:

a. Forced colonists to buy sugar from British west indies-

not French colonies (where it was cheaper)

b. Allowed British agents to use search warrants called

“writs of assistance” to find smuggled sugar on ships

2. Reaction:

a. unpopular in New England (where they made RUM)

b. didn’t affect SC much

3. Result: it was REPEALED because it didn’t raise enough money

V. Taxation without representation

B. Stamp Tax- 1765:

1. What it taxed: Any paper documents

2. Response:

a. Sons of liberty: groups that used violence to protest

b. Tar-and-feathering

c. Burning effigies

d. Ransacking houses of British officials

e. Protest marches

V. Taxation without representation3. STAMP ACT CONGRESS

a. 9/13 colonies (including SC) sent delegates to philly

b. A formal letter of protest was sent to Britain

c. Christopher Gadsden of SC: “there should be no New

England Man, no New Yorker, but all of us AMERICANS!

4. IN SC:

a. Christopher Gadsden led the “SONS OF LIBERTY” in

Charleston

b. When Stamps arrived in CHAS, Lt. Gov. bull hid them in the

basement and refused to enforce new law.

5. Result- Unpopular Stamp act was REPEALED

V. Taxation without representation

C. Townshend Duties 1767:

1. Taxed lead, glass, paper, paint, tea

2. Response:

a. Sons of liberty protested

b. Colonists BOYCOTTED products!

c. IN MASSACHUSSETS- BOSTON MASSACRE

3. Result: Townshend duties repealed (except for tea tax!)

V. Taxation without Representation

D. Tea Act (1773)

1. Parliament BOUGHT OUT East India Tea Company

2. Parliament LOWERED PRICE OF TEA!

3. Tax was KEPT even though overall price of tea was lower

4. this was a test- were americans being ‘cheap’ or were they

really upset about taxation?

5. RESPONSE? BOSTON TEA PARTY!!

6. RESULT? COERCIVE ACTS punished the city of Boston

V. Taxation without Representation

E. Coercive Acts:

1. What they did:

a. Closed Boston Harbor

b. British army occupied Boston

c. British officials who were accused of crimes in bostonwere tried outside of boston

d. General Thomas Gage= becomes MILITARY GOVR

V. Taxation without Representation

F. 1st Continental Congress

1. What: 12/13 Colonies sent delegates to discuss COERCIVE ACTS (not GA)

2. Where: Met in 1774 in PHILLY PA

3. HENRY MIDDLETON OF SC begame President of the meeting!

4. GOAL: to get Parliament to overturn ALL ACTS SINCE 1763!

5. METHOD: No BUYING or SELLING with BRITAIN!

6. SC’s Response:

a. Threatened to walk out of meeting!

b. SC’s economy was based on trade with Britain!

c. Other delegates agreed to allow SC alone to trade with Britain

Trouble in SC

A. Election of Chris Gadsden to Commons House of Assembly

1. Chris Gadsden

a. SC rice planter

b. elected to SC Commons House

2. Royal Governor Thomas Boone refused to accept election of Gadsden

3. British Govt. Responds by rebuking Gov. Boone for his actions!

a. SC saw this as a victory!

b. SC: “we are a free govt, freely representing a free people!”

Trouble in SC

B. Wilkes Controversy

1. SC Commons House voted to send $ to John Wilkes

a. Wilkes was a British newspaper editor

b. Wilkes was generally disliked

c. Wilkes was facing trial for criticizing King in his newspaper

d. Although disliked, Wilkes’ freedom of speech was being violated

2. Gov’r. of SC refused to allow Commons house to send $ to Wilkes

3. Gov’r of SC DISSOLVED COMMONS HOUSE!!!

4. There were now no elected representatives of the People of SC!!!

5. The People formed an “unofficial” elected assembly of their own