In 1789 the South and especially Virginia had been the impelling force in creating the nation. By 1815 the South and slaveholders still seemed to be in control of the national government. President Madison was a slaveholder. So too were Speaker of the House, Henry Clay, James Monroe, the secretary of state, and George W. Campbell, the secretary of the treasury. All Republican leaders of the House were slaveholders. In 1815 the United States had four missions in Europe: two of them were held by slaveholders. The chief justice of the United States was a slaveholder, as were a majority of the other members of the Court. Since 1789 three of the four presidents, two of the five vice-presidents, fourteen of the twenty-six presidents pro tempore the Senate, and five of the ten Speakers of the House had been slaveholders.
Places to Visit
| Place | City Sort descending | |
|---|---|---|
| Kings Mountain National Military Park | Blacksburg | This 3,945 acre park commemorates the 1780 battle between colonialists — Patriot vs. Loyalist with no British involved. |
| Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site | Camden | The 107-acre site includes the town of 18th century Camden, the Joseph Kershaw mansion — headquarters for Lord Cornwallis — and more. Fourteen battles of the Revolution were fought in the area. |
| Drayton Hall | Charleston | The mansion, built 1738-42, was the birthplace of patriot William Henry Drayton. |
| Middleton Place | Charleston | Well-preserved eighteenth century plantation with America's oldest landscaped gardens; the house dates to the late 1730s. |
| Old Slave Mart Museum | Charleston | Opened in 2007, the museum offers a narrative history of slavery in the U.S. The building, formerly Ryan’s Mart, was an actual showroom where slaves were bought and sold. |
| Cowpens National Battlefield | Chesnee | A pasturing area at the time of the battle, the site covers 845 acres and is preserved to its 1781 appearance. |
| Charles Pinckney National Historic Site | Mount Pleasant | Charles Pinckney was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a governor; the 28-acre site is just a remnant of Pinckney's 715-acre coastal plantation, Snee Farm. |
| Ninety Six National Historic Site | Nintey Six | Commemorates two Revolutionary War battles and includes the original 1781 Star Fort, historic roads, the original town sites of Ninety Six & Cambridge, the reconstructed Stockade Fort, and siege trenches. |
Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (2009)