Episode 126: Rebecca Brannon, The Reintegration of American Loyalists

by Liz CovartMarch 21, 2017

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What happened to the loyalists who stayed in the United States after the War for Independence?

After the war, 60,000 loyalists and 15,000 slaves evacuated the United States. But thousands more opted to remain in the new nation.

Rebecca Brannon, an Associate Professor of History at James Madison University and author of From Revolution to Reunion: The Reintegration of South Carolina Loyalists, winner of the 2016 George C. Rogers Book Award, joins us to explore what happened to the loyalists who stayed.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Episode Summary

Rebecca Brannon, an Associate Professor of History at James Madison University and author of the award-winning book, From Revolution to Reunion: The Reintegration of South Carolina Loyalists, joins us to explore what happened to some of the loyalists who stayed in the United States.

During our investigation, Rebecca reveals details about the War for Independence in South Carolina; Patriot plans to reintegrate loyalists back into South Carolinian Society after the war; And, how loyalists worked to make amends to earn their way back into South Carolinian society after the war.

What You’ll Discover

The War for Independence in South Carolina
The Lacy Family
Loyalists
Why Americans chose to remain loyal to or rebel against Great Britain
The role slavery played in South Carolinians’ decisions to remain loyal or rebel
South Carolina after the War for Independence
Reintegrating loyalists into South Carolinian society
Property confiscation
How loyalists attempted to make amends with patriot family members and neighbors
Role loyalists played in their reintegration into South Carolina Society
Loyalist apologies
The South Carolina Clemency Act of 1784
What made the South Carolina Clemency Act the most generous in the United States
Role loyalists played in the new nation

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if South Carolinians had kept loyalists and the violent civil war South Carolinians waged during the War for Independence alive in their historical memory? How would an accurate version of the state’s War for Independence experience have affected the course of its early republic and antebellum history?