Interviewees:
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Annette Guild
- Metadata Specialist, South Carolina Historical Society
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Melina Testin
- Education Coordinator, South Carolina Historical Society
South Carolina’s elected leaders moved toward independence ahead of most colonies, passing their own constitution in March 1776 and electing John Rutledge as the state’s first president. The Revolutionary movement, however, was anything but cohesive. Conservatives wanted a diplomatic resolution while radicals pushed for military escalation, and in October 1775 Henry Laurens fought a bloodless duel with John F. Grimké rooted in disagreements over whether the Patriot movement should use extralegal tactics.
