Sacred Honor Study Guide, Colony 12: South Carolina

South Carolina is where the phrase "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" becomes most concrete. Few delegations had more to lose materially from independence, and these men lost a great deal of it.

This guide introduces four signers. Edward Rutledge was the youngest of all fifty-six, who voted against independence on July 1 and changed his vote to make it unanimous. Thomas Heyward Jr. was captured and imprisoned, had his enslaved people seized, and is credited with writing a defiant patriot song in a British prison. Thomas Lynch Jr. came to Congress to help his sick father, signed when his father could not, and was lost at sea at thirty, his grave the ocean. Arthur Middleton, cynical in temper but upright in intention, gave his estate and his freedom to the cause.

The Hero of Your Story moment belongs to Thomas Lynch Jr., whose entire contribution fits in a single act, and whose life asks whether a life can be complete in thirty years.

INSIDE THIS GUIDE:

• The South Carolina Colony Introduction
• Profiles of Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., and Arthur Middleton
• A Primary Source Encounter: the prisoners' song, "God Save the Thirteen States"
• Explorer Questions (grades four through six) and Challenger Questions (grades seven through twelve)
• Vocabulary Builder, Discussion Questions, and a hands-on Activity
• A Faith Connection drawn from the colony's story
• The Hero of Your Story moment and a student reflection page

Honest history, devotional depth, and real conversation for your family or classroom. A branded navy-and-gold PDF in the Sacred Honor series.

Part of the 250th Anniversary Founders Reference System. Save by purchasing the complete thirteen-colony set.