The 56 by Douglas MacKinnon

Author:Douglas MacKinnon [MacKinnon, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781637584255
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Published: 2022-03-03T13:43:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Thomas Heyward Jr.

Again, while many on the Left and far left want to diminish, invalidate, or outright ban our Independence Day, fortunately tens of millions of Americans not only still cherish it but also proudly celebrate it on its annual arrival.

That said, none of them can hold a candle to Thomas Heyward Jr. when it comes to passionate, fun, and spread-like-wildfire ways to commemorate the most important date in the history of our nation.

At the end of June 1781, Heyward had been a prisoner of the British for almost a year. As just mentioned, he, along with fellow signers Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton, had suffered tremendous abuse at the hands of their captors. That said, the spirit of none of them was broken. Least of all, Heyward.

Not only was he courageous to the extreme, but he was also quite clever and creative. As such, and just before his release and in honor of the upcoming Independence Day, he decided to patriotically change the words of the British National Anthem—“God Save the King”—into “God Save the Thirteen States.”

Not only was it an “in your face” to his brutal jailers, but it proved to be immensely popular as it spread from one end of the colonies to the other.

Thomas Heyward Jr. was born into one of the wealthiest families in St. Luke’s Parish, South Carolina, in 1746. As a child and young adult, he wanted for nothing.

He was enrolled in the best school in the region and proved to be an exceptional student. So good, in fact, that he read the works of ancient Roman historians and poets in the original Latin.

With a growing interest in the law, young Heyward was sent by his father to London to be educated at one of the Inns of Court at the Temple and former stomping grounds of the Knights Templar.

While there, he also came to hear the British elites refer to the American colonists in the most condescending and insulting of manners. He became so incensed by such talk that he was determined to travel back home to assist in breaking the bondage of such transatlantic oppression.

Before leaving for home, Heyward took it upon himself to travel about the Continent. Instead of being impressed by the famous capitals and “civilized” existence, he was deeply disturbed to note that the elites of those nations were also abusing the millions of “unwashed masses” under their care.

Once finally back in South Carolina, he dove right into both his legal career and his political aspirations. In 1772, Heyward was elected to the colonial legislature.

Approximately one year later, he married Elizabeth Matthews. Not only was she quite accomplished in her own right, but as it turned out, her brother also served in the Continental Congress and became the governor of South Carolina. That brother was John Mathews, who years later would marry the sister of signer Edward Rutledge.

Small—colonial—world indeed.

In 1776, Heyward was elected to the Second Continental Congress and had the distinction of being one of the few signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

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