THE SOUTHERN REVOLUTIONARY WAR INSTITUTE
CALL FOR PAPERS
Second Biennial Southern Revolutionary War Symposium
York, SC, Friday, July 13, 2007
“The Beginning of the End: The Campaigns of 1775-1776 in the Southern Colonies”
The Southern Revolutionary War Institute (SRWI) is pleased to announce that it will host the Second Biennial Southern Revolutionary War Symposium at the McCelvey Center in York, South Carolina on Friday, July 13, 2007. The McCelvey Center, located at 212 East Jefferson Street, is one of three sites in York County, South Carolina owned and operated by the Culture & Heritage Museums and is home to the Southern Revolutionary War Institute, a research center dedicated to the study of the American Revolution in the Southern colonies.
This year’s symposium will focus on the important but often overlooked years of 1775 and 1776, the “beginning of the end” of British rule in the Southern colonies of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Critical political events included the dissolution and expulsion of the royal governments of the Southern colonies, the formation of the first independent provincial governments, the division of loyalties among the populace, the mobilization of state troops and militia, North Carolina’s “Mecklenburg Resolves,” and William Henry Drayton’s expedition to the South Carolina backcountry. Significant military engagements in 1775 included the first siege of Fort Ninety Six, SC; the Battle of Great Bridge, Virginia; and the Battle of Great Canebrake or Reedy River, SC, the so-called “Snow Campaign.” The year 1776 witnessed the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, NC; the British attack on Charleston, SC and the Battle of Sullivan’s Island; and the epic Cherokee Campaign that launched the militia of both Carolinas and Virginia into a total war against the pro-British Cherokee Nation. The Institute especially encourages studies of the involvement of Native Americans, African Americans, and women in this early phase of the Revolution; areas of interest include the effects of Virginia governor Lord Dunmore’s efforts to grant freedom to the slaves of rebel slave owners in exchange for the slaves’ service to the Crown; the Indian wars along the frontiers of Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia; the participation of the Catawba Indians in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island and the Cherokee Campaign; and the involvement of women in political events like the “Edenton Tea Party.”
The Institute invites proposals for papers and sessions for the symposium. To submit a proposal, please send by January 1, 2007 a 300-word abstract with a cover letter indicating your name, postal and e-mail addresses, institutional affiliation (if any), equipment needs, and a short biographical summary, to:
Michael Scoggins
Director, Southern Revolutionary War Institute
212 East Jefferson Street
York, SC 29745
Address any inquiries Michael Scoggins at micscoggins@chmuseums.org or the above address. Notice of acceptance will be made no later than January 30, 2007, at which time presenters will also receive information on hotels and local accommodations. Papers should be 18-20 pages, Chicago Manual of Style, with footnotes and bibliography. Full text of the paper must be delivered by May 30, 2007. A copy in word processor format is also requested for future publication of the proceedings. Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes per person with 10 minutes for discussion; time limits will be strictly enforced. Papers will be grouped into sessions based on themes with a moderator for each session.