The Charleston Museum is full of wonderful history dating back to the beginning of time. Nevertheless, for the purpose of this blog, I spent a lot of time in the American Revolution exhibit: the late 1700s, and the early 1800s.
What struck me so much about the American Revolution in the Americas is just how much of an impact it had on not only South Carolina, but also African Americans and the indigenous people. I learned some interesting facts about where Charleston stood at the time of the Revolution’s start. It was the “fourth largest city”: a place of trade, especially cotton, and slavery. However, the Lowcountry and Backcountry had been divided by those who supported the British and those who did not. Because of this, the two countries became hostile towards each other. There were so many different people, and most of them supported either the Crown, Loyalists, the patriots, or the Whigs.
What really struck me was how South Carolina, especially Charleston, was put under siege during the Revolution–almost as bad as the Civil War, which was another exhibit I looked at. Charleston was captured and many people were either enslaved or taken hostage. The British stayed in Charleston until the end of the war. It was just incredible learning how strong the civilians stayed during this time, because they believed they could gain their independence. What proved that to them was the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. The British attacked Fort Moultrie and came ashore to spread even more death and destruction inland. However, despite the fort not being finished, it still withstood the cannon fire rather well, allowing for a nice shield for the American troops. Many were killed, yes, but the Americans did not give up, and eventually, the British troops pulled back. The exhibit said that it was that battle where Americans knew they had a chance in the war. In my opinion, I think it was a turning point for it.
The aftermath of the war was devastating, especially on the Native Americans. Since we’ve been talking a lot about the natives in class, I decided to spend some ample time studying this part of the exhibit. Starting from the year 1685 to the year 1790, the native population dropped drastically–especially at the end of the war. Between 1715 and 1790, over 4,000 Native Americans lost their homes as more slaves started to move into the county. At the end of the war, people pushed their enslaved territories further inland, which put pressure on the native tribes. The exhibit said that these invasions caused a lot of conflict and violence, but at the end of the day, the settlers won. Many Native Americans were either killed or converted. The Revolutionary War caused them to lose their identities. This was both fascinating and disturbing to me.
I ended my exploration on the tale of Francis Marion, a well-known soldier during the Revolutionary times. I never knew that he gained his military expertise by fighting against the Cherokee. They took their environment and terrain into consideration, and Marion learned from that to assist him in his famous “The British are coming!” run. Marion was good with stealth and surprise attacks. It was much like a fox, so that was why he was given the nickname the “Swamp Fox” after he died.
Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to the museum. I learned a lot about South Carolina and how big of a role it played in the Revolutionary War. At the end of the day, people knew the state by its role in trade and cotton, and its part at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. If the Americans had not won that battle, I feel that our history would be very different.
