Disposed to Fight to Their Death
Disposed to Fight to Their Death
Independence
When the American Revolution came to Lumbee communities, Lumbees fought for their own independence in their homes within the pines and lowlands. Indians in the Settlement—a place of twelve or fifteen square miles where Lumbee founding families lived—had their own distinct community and struggled to maintain possession of it. Two fundamental issues in the American Revolution affected Indians and Highland Scots who had settled in Indian territory: who would own the land they lived on and who would govern it. In 1775, every family had to decide whether to side with the Patriots (Whig) or Loyalists (Tory). Drowning Creek Indians remained divided on which side better served their interests. Some Lumbees acted not as allies of the British or Patriots but on their own behalf. By 1800, the Lumbees’ Settlement was known by outsiders as Scuffletown. Scuffletown residents fervently cooperated with one another, especially in church and family matters, while fiercely competing with one another to make a living and assert a political voice. Protestant Christianity and church organizations expanded rapidly through rural America, and in Scuffletown, Methodists actively recruited Indian and free black believers. As a result, Christianity became a crucial aspect of Lumbee life.
Keywords: American Revolution, Drowning Creek, Highland Scots, Patriots, Loyalists, Whig, Tory, The Settlement, Scuffletown, Christianity
North Carolina Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
