Letters and writings of Christopher Gadsden, an American Revolutionary leader. Born in Charleston, S.C., educated in England, later returned to Charleston (1746) and became a wealthy merchant. At the Stamp Act Congress (1765) he was one of the first to urge colonial union against England's policy of taxation. Gadsden served (1774-76) in the Continental Congress and favored independence. In the struggle over the South Carolina constitution in 1778 he was a radical, favoring separation of church and state and popular election of senators. He was captured when the British took Charleston (1780), and imprisonment by the British broke his health. He later helped to secure ratification of the Constitution and still later opposed the Jeffersonians. -- Columbia Enc.

"Gadsden Miscellany, 1761-1883" (typescript copy on microfilm including diary, letters, accounts, and printed items - See R.293); and 42 documents, 1753-1801, copied from several repositories collected by Richard Walsh for researching the book, The Writings of Christopher Gadsden (on microfilm: R.295).

"Drawing extensively upon Gadsden's writings and letters, Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution ... recreates the ... life of South Carolina's foremost patriot during the American Revolution and illuminates further that major episode in American history. The book contains all the known details of Gadsden's personal life as well as a thorough analysis of his political and military careers"--Jacket.