History 2.0 - SC Signers of the Declaration of Indepedence




Columbia's Daily Phoenix Newspaper July 1867.

 
  Happy Fourth of July readers! Many of you are probably busy enjoying a day off work by getting drunk and lighting papers stuffed full of gun powder on fire, which is a fine time-honored tradition practiced by Americans for many generations. However, before you grab the cooler and the matches ask yourself how much do you know about the four South Carolinians who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776? You may have heard of Edward Rutledge thanks to his (rather melodramatic) penchant for belting out show tunes and, of course, his fabulous taste in wigs but I bet the names of the other three men are a bit harder to remember (without a trip to Google). No worries! Because I have decided to spend my Fourth the best way I know how - by doing a bunch of research and writing an essay about it.

　

If He Were Alive Today - James Henry Hammond

  James Henry Hammond was the Governor of South Carolina, a U.S. Senator and is probably most well-known for coining the phrase, "Cotton is King". He was also an egotistical, misogynistic jerk face and was, pretty much, a miserable excuse for a human being. However, being an awful person didn't keep him from becoming a powerful political figure, having a school named after him or stop his home, Redcliffe Plantation, from becoming a State Park. In fact, it still holds true today that no matter what kind of ridiculous blowhard you might be, you can still be very rich and have the support of other like minded people. When you think about it, things haven't changed all that much and that made me wonder what old James Henry Hammond might be like if he were alive today.


Curious? Explore the possibilities with me after the cut!