SC Humanities proudly announces the launch of the “Revolutionary Perspectives” speaker series, an exciting new extension of its longstanding Speakers Bureau. Funded by the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250), this series highlights the crucial yet often-overlooked roles South Carolinians played in the American Revolutionary War. Expert historians and cultural scholars will present engaging public talks throughout the state, promoting deeper historical understanding and civic engagement.
SC Humanities invites nonprofit groups and public agencies to host these enlightening programs. Each host organization receives $350 toward the speaker honorarium, with matching contributions required through in-kind or additional funding.
To schedule an event or learn more about Revolutionary Perspectives and SC Humanities’ Speakers Bureau, contact: T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477 or tjwallace@schumanities.org.
About SC250
The South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250) was chartered by the state General Assembly to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary Era and highlight the state’s significant role in securing America’s freedom. SC250’s mission is to celebrate and promote South Carolina’s role in the American Revolution by engaging and inspiring South Carolinians and visitors through heritage tourism, rural economic impact initiatives and educational programs.
Presenters and Topics
Elizabeth Chew became CEO of the South Carolina Historical Society in January 2024. A historian, curator, and educator, she has worked at museums and historic sites since 1985.
Prior to arriving in Charleston, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Curator at James Madison’s Montpelier in Virginia. During her 8 1/2 years at Montpelier, Dr. Chew led teams of curators, historians, educators, interpreters, public program creators, archaeologists, and historic preservation experts in researching and interpreting James Madison and his family, his essential roles in framing the U.S. Constitution and leading the nation, and the community of enslaved people on the plantation.
Prior to joining Montpelier, Dr. Chew led the curatorial and education division at Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC. Earlier in her career, she served as Curator at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA. During her thirteen-year tenure there, she was responsible for ongoing research and interpretation initiatives that wove together the Monticello house, its collections, the Jefferson family, and the enslaved community. Dr. Chew also worked in curatorial positions in art museums in Washington, D.C., at The Phillips Collection, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Raised in Augusta, Georgia, Elizabeth received a BA in art history from Yale University, an MA from the University of London, and PhD from UNC- Chapel Hill.
James and Dolley Madison: The First American Power Couple
Thomas Jefferson and Monticello
Art and the American Revolution
South Carolina History is American History
Tom Elmore holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of South Carolina. He is the author of five books about South Carolina in the 19th century, as well as numerous articles in regional and national publications. He lectured all across the Mid-Atlantic States and has been a book reviewer for two national magazines.
Elmore is the current State Historian for the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He is also a member of the Richland County 250 Committee, the Robert Burns Society of the Midlands and the Scottish Clan Davidson. He lives in Columbia SC with his wife Krys.
The Swamp Fox- A Bibliographical History of Francis Marion
South Carolina’s Irish Patriots of the American Revolution
Fritz Hamer received his MA and PhD in history from USC-Columbia. He spent 25 years at the SC State Museum as Curator of History researching and developing exhibitions on a variety of topics, ranging from the American Civil War and Reconstruction, World War I and II, and sports history with emphasis on baseball and football. He has spoken to many groups about these projects and related topics. Before retiring in 2020, he spent 4 years at the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum as Historian and Archivist researching an exhibition about the Vietnam War. He spoke to many groups about this subject, seeking out veterans to interview and compiling more than 65 oral histories for the collection of the CRR.
The American Revolution in South Carolina
Aliene Shields Humphries was born in Spartanburg, SC, and graduated from Columbia College with degrees in Special Education and Public Speaking/Drama. In 2010, she wrote her first book, The Legacy of A Common Civil War Soldier, based on the letters written by her great-grandfather Private Thomas Marion Shields in 1861-1865. Currently, Aliene is promoting her new book (tentative release date of fall 2022) and Timeline (now available) with the 60+ significant sites in her beloved state of South Carolina as battlefield sites, gravesites, and more. Aliene dresses in period attire and brings items from the 18th century to her talks including old and rare newspapers and unique items such as a wig curler.
South Carolina Women in the American Revolution
The Importance of South Carolina During the American Revolutionary War
Kate Salley Palmer is a native of Orangeburg and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. While at USC she did a cartoon strip for The Gamecock satirizing the school’s administration, entitled “Terrible Tom and the Boys”. In 1978, Kate became the first full-time staff editorial cartoonist for a SC newspaper at The Greenville News. Kate’s political cartoons were nationally syndicated in more than 200 newspapers, and in 1980 she won the Freedom Foundation’s George Washington Honor Medal for Editorial Cartooning. In 2000, one of her cartoons made Newsweek’s Special Edition, “100 Years in Cartoons” – the only woman political cartoonist featured. In 2006, Clemson University’s Digital Press published Kate’s memoir, Growing Up Cartoonist in the Baby Boom South, which got a good review in Comics Journal.
In the 1990s Kate began writing and illustrating picture books for children and has had over 25 published by national and regional publishers. Kate has written four picture books about our state’s history: Palmetto – Symbol of Courage, about the famous Revolutionary War battle that inspired the color and symbols on our beautiful state flag; Francis Marion and the Legend of the Swamp Fox, the story of South Carolina’s most famous Revolutionary War hero; Almost Invisible – Black Patriots of the American Revolution; and First South Carolinians, about our state’s native people. These books have become very popular in schools and libraries as resources for teaching our state’s history. Kate makes presentations to various groups about how she did the research for non-fiction writing, with emphasis on getting the facts right.
For more about Kate and her books go to www.warbranchpress.com.
Helping Teach South Carolina History With Picture Books
Joshua Shumak is a nationally recognized policy consultant, educator, and advocate for Indigenous communities. He specializes in education, cultural policy, and government relations, developing initiatives that support Native American populations through research and tribal-state collaboration. Joshua advances tribal governance, cultural preservation, and community development by connecting state agencies, nonprofits, and tribal nations. His work spans food sovereignty, Indigenous curriculum development, cultural heritage protection, and government policy. He has consulted widely to strengthen Indigenous communities and promote their interests. Joshua’s impact has been recognized at state, national, and international levels.
Revolutionary War Stories in South Carolina
Dr. Alice Taylor-Colbert earned Masters’ and Ph.D. degrees in American Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an American historian with a focus on the South and Cherokee Studies who served 5 universities in leadership roles, including Campus Dean of the University of South Carolina Union. From 1988 to 2020, she served as an editorial board member of the Journal of Cherokee Studies. She is an Adviser to the Georgia Trail of Tears Organization and a past President of the Georgia Association of Historians. In addition to being a retired History Professor, Taylor-Colbert is a trained curator, archivist and former museum director. She currently serves on the Professional Development Committee of the South Carolina Federation of Museums. Taylor-Colbert is a consultant for historical and humanities organizations, including South Carolina Humanities, with a specialty in leading strategic humanities projects via grants she secures.
Cherokees in 18th Century South Carolina
Cherokees in the Revolutionary Era: Diplomacy, Conflict, and Peace
Donald West is an instructor in the Department of History, Humanities, and Languages at Trident Technical College. He teaches both sequences of the U.S. History and African American History courses. He also teaches a survey history course on Africa. He is a travel enthusiast and has visited numerous historical places in Africa including landmarks connected to the African slave trade. West is also an active member of several professional organizations in history and museums.