June 1775: The Council of Safety Takes Over

June 2025 is the 250th anniversary of first meetings of South Carolina’s Council of Safety, which served kind of as a branch of government during the early days of the American Revolution here in our state. One of their main jobs was to form the militia regiments and give orders as to where they went. They also created a currency for the state, right down to the design of the paper money, oversaw the Secret Committee (who acted on secret missions), communicated about the conflict with indigenous tribes, and even handled citizen reports of those who may be loyalists.

The Council was a group of men appointed by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, in the wake of the Battles of Lexington and Concord up in Massachusetts. Colonists everywhere were feeling a sense of urgency at that point and life then began to change rapidly.