A wealthy merchant involved in the slave trade, this South Carolinian quickly emerged as a leader in pre-revolutionary Charleston. He was President of the Continental Congress in 1777 and 1778 when it met in York, Pa. during the British occupation of Philadelphia. This patriot was the only American ever to have been imprisoned in the Tower of London. After release, he was appointed a Peace Commissioner in Paris with Franklin, to conclude a treaty with the British. The breadth of his involvement is amazing, as was Washington’s regard for him.
Henry Laurens and the American Revolution
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