America 250
Key Dates - April 1776
April 1, 1776: Following the British evacuation of Boston on March 17, George Washington continued organizing the movement of the Continental Army toward New York City, which he recognized as the next strategic target.
Early April 1776: Benjamin Franklin made a difficult trip to Canada as part of a failed diplomatic mission to persuade the French Canadians to join the American cause.
April 1776 (Mid-month): The Continental Congress, spurred by the success of removing the British from Boston, began discussing the formal separation from Great Britain.
April 12 Located on the Roanoke River, the town of Halifax developed into a commercial and political center at the time of the American Revolution. North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress met in Halifax in the spring of 1776. On April 12 that body unanimously adopted a document later called the “Halifax Resolves,” which was the first official action by an entire colony recommending independence from England.
“Spirit of ‘76”: The year 1776 is recognized as the “critical year,” where the war shifted from resisting tyranny to fighting for complete independence.
Preceding Actions: The Siege of Boston (ending March 17, 1776) was a major victory that bolstered colonial morale just before April.
Declaration Signer
Thomas Heyward
South Carolinians weren’t thinking about separation from England in the spring of 1776. Older colonial leaders were busy setting up a colonial constitution, so younger men were sent to attend Congress in Philadelphia. The average age of the four delegates from Southa Carolina was 29.
Thomas Heyward, educated in London and from a wealthy plantation family, was considered to be an outstanding poet. Heward signed the Declaration of Independence and stayed on to sign the Articles of Confederation.
Returning from Philadelphia in 1778, Heyward became a circuit judge and an officer in the militia. During the siege of Charleston, Heyward presided over the trial of several Loyalists convicted of treasonous correspondence with the enemy.
He caused a sensation when he had them executed in full view of the British troops. In 1779, Heyward was wounded during an attack along South Carolina’s coast near his home. The following year, the British ransacked his home and captured him.
Imprisoned at St. Augustine, Florida, he celebrated the Fourth of July by changing the words of the song “God Save the King” to “God Save the Thirteen States.” Needless to say, the song became popular throughout the colonies.
The remainder of his life was devoted to agriculture as he helped found and became the first president of the Agricultural Society of South Carolina. He died in 1809 at the age of 62.
