Charleston Meeting in 1774: South Carolina’s First Steps Towards Independence

In early July 1774, a pivotal meeting in Charleston laid crucial groundwork for South Carolina’s eventual declaration of independence from Great Britain. This “General Meeting,” convened in response to the escalating tensions with the Crown and the punitive “Intolerable Acts” imposed on Massachusetts, marked a significant shift in the colony’s political landscape.

With a new Royal Governor, Lord William Campbell, still awaiting his arrival, South Carolina’s leaders took matters into their own hands. The General Meeting, composed of prominent planters, merchants, and mechanics, gathered at the Exchange Building. Their actions that day effectively initiated the process of establishing an independent government in the province.

Key outcomes of this historic assembly included the election of five delegates to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. More importantly, the meeting established the “Committee of 99,” a body that quickly evolved into the de facto government of South Carolina. This committee, comprising 30 Charleston merchants and mechanics and 69 planters from across the colony, was tasked with implementing resolutions and maintaining vital correspondence with other colonies.

The formation of the Committee of 99 demonstrated a clear resolve among South Carolinians to assert greater autonomy and resist British policies. It signified an early, decisive step on the path toward self-governance and ultimately, the complete break from British rule. The Commons House of Assembly, the existing colonial legislative body, fully supported the actions of the General Meeting, even appropriating funds for the delegation to the Continental Congress.

While the formal declaration of independence would come later, the July 1774, meeting in Charleston represented a critical turning point, demonstrating the colony’s determination to control its political destiny and join with other colonies in a unified stand against British authority.