Topic 2.3: Declaration of Independence
First Continental Congress
In 1774, representatives from across the South Carolina colony met in Charles Town to elect representatives to the Continental Congress to be held in Philadelphia. They also established a General Committee of 99 to govern the colony instead of the royal governor. The Continental Congress, under the leadership of Henry Middleton of South Carolina, who was elected its president, established a non-importation and non-exportation agreement (no trade with Britain). However, South Carolina delegates successfully argued that rice was essential to the survival of their colony, so trade of rice was allowed. After fighting between British soldiers and colonists broke out in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia.
Second Continental Congress and Declaration of Independence
South Carolinians served as delegates to the Second Continental Congress when the Declaration of Independence was debated - what do we write in this document? These delegates were planters who represented the Lowcountry elite rather than the people of the backcountry. Thomas Lynch Jr., Thomas Heyward Jr., Edward Rutledge, and Arthur Middleton signed the document. Each of these men went on to serve in the state militia, defending independence, and also served in government after the war.
The Declaration, based on the ideas of John Locke, stated the ideals of democracy including:
1. The principles of equality
2. The natural rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
3. The purpose of government is to "secure those rights"
4. The "right of the people to alter or abolish" government when natural rights are not protected by government
It then made the case that the King, not Parliament, had violated the rights of the colonists. The actions that "He" did were designed to break the bonds between the King and his loyalist subjects in the colonies and to unify the new nation against a common enemy.
In 1774, representatives from across the South Carolina colony met in Charles Town to elect representatives to the Continental Congress to be held in Philadelphia. They also established a General Committee of 99 to govern the colony instead of the royal governor. The Continental Congress, under the leadership of Henry Middleton of South Carolina, who was elected its president, established a non-importation and non-exportation agreement (no trade with Britain). However, South Carolina delegates successfully argued that rice was essential to the survival of their colony, so trade of rice was allowed. After fighting between British soldiers and colonists broke out in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia.
Second Continental Congress and Declaration of Independence
South Carolinians served as delegates to the Second Continental Congress when the Declaration of Independence was debated - what do we write in this document? These delegates were planters who represented the Lowcountry elite rather than the people of the backcountry. Thomas Lynch Jr., Thomas Heyward Jr., Edward Rutledge, and Arthur Middleton signed the document. Each of these men went on to serve in the state militia, defending independence, and also served in government after the war.
The Declaration, based on the ideas of John Locke, stated the ideals of democracy including:
1. The principles of equality
2. The natural rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
3. The purpose of government is to "secure those rights"
4. The "right of the people to alter or abolish" government when natural rights are not protected by government
It then made the case that the King, not Parliament, had violated the rights of the colonists. The actions that "He" did were designed to break the bonds between the King and his loyalist subjects in the colonies and to unify the new nation against a common enemy.
Content information was obtained from the South Carolina state standards support document for eighth grade Social Studies. This document can be located at http://www.ed.sc.gov/agency/se/Instructional-Practices-and-Evaluations/documents/Grade8SupportDocument.pdf .All images were obtained from Google.com and were labeled as Free to Use or Share.