Skip to main content

South Carolina | Perspective

Loyalists

Loyalism was unusually strong in South Carolina, making the Revolution there look as much like a civil war as a war for independence. Roughly a quarter of the white population actively opposed the Patriots, especially in the poorer, politically marginalized backcountry, where resentment of Low Country elites pushed many residents toward the British. Loyalist South Carolinians fought their fellow South Carolinians at Cowpens, Kings Mountain, and many smaller engagements, helping make the state the site of more battles than nearly any other and prolonging the war.


Interviewees
  • Elizabeth Chew
    • CEO, South Carolina Historical Society
  • Melina Testin
    • Education Coordinator, South Carolina Historical Society

More loyalist perspectives

View details
  • Connecticut

    Loyalists

    3:53 Just watched
  • Delaware

    Loyalists

    7:56 Just watched
  • Georgia

    Loyalists

    2:45 Just watched
  • Massachusetts

    Loyalists

    4:39 Just watched
  • New Hampshire

    Loyalists

    4:43 Just watched
  • New Jersey

    Loyalists

    7:19 Just watched
  • New York

    Loyalists

    4:15 Just watched
  • North Carolina

    Loyalists

    4:56 Just watched
  • Rhode Island

    Loyalists

    2:52 Just watched
  • Virginia

    Loyalists

    10:44 Just watched

More from South Carolina

View details
  • South Carolina

    Context

    Considering Independence — Colonial Era

    24:24 Just watched
  • South Carolina

    Declaration

    Enacting Independence — 1776

    7:26 Just watched
  • South Carolina

    Memory

    Remembering Independence — 1777 to Present

    6:20 Just watched
  • South Carolina

    African Americans

    4:19 Just watched
  • South Carolina

    Native Americans

    2:58 Just watched
  • South Carolina

    Politicians

    3:52 Just watched
  • South Carolina

    Women

    Just watched
0

States of Independence

Produced in partnership with New American History and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

© 2026. All Rights Reserved.

  • Videos

    Explore perspectives on the Revolution from historical experts in each of the original thirteen states.

  • Learning Resources

    Browse free learning resources that help you adapt this project to your classroom.


  • About the Project
  • Key Principles

Bookmarks

    No bookmarks yet. Bookmark a video to save it here.