High school US history classes just can't teach you everything, I suppose. They usually just go by whatever textbook the curriculum is based on and it's just on to the next semi-interesting thing. This is super disappointing because, although I understand needing to get through all the material and obviously you can't learn everything about history in your 11th-grade social studies class, we skip over so many important people and events. I have always been interested in history and especially the American Revolution. Listening to the songs in the hit Broadway Musical" Hamilton" has reminded me of my passion for this topic, and inspired me to do a little research of my own. Particularly, I was interested in John Laurens, and you will not believe what I have found.
John Laurens was born in Charleston, South Carolina to a rich family, and went to complete his education in Europe, first in England and then in Switzerland and then again in England. What he really wanted to do was study medicine and science, but his father wanted him to study law, so that's what he did.
He came back to America in 1777, eager to join the revolution against the British. Laurens rushed to George Washington to volunteer in the Continental Army (against his father's wishes) and was promoted to lieutenant colonel and "aide de camp." He became very close with the other "aides de camp" Marquis de Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton and was super helpful to General Washington due to his fluency in French. In battle, he was known for his excitement and recklessness and would often get injured.
While studying in England, Laurens was introduced to the rapidly spreading ideas of abolition and came to the conclusion that it would be extremely hypocritical to fight a war of independence and freedom while slave-ownership still existed in the country. As his father made his great fortune in the slave trade, this may have caused more than a few awkward family dinners. Throughout the revolution, Laurens continued to advocate for the freeing of slaves, and met quite a lot of opposition, especially from people in the south, but also found support in people such as Alexander Hamilton.
Speaking of Alexander Hamilton, there are theories about the nature of his and Laurens' relationship. Of course, they were comrades who worked and fought in battles together, so there was bound to be tender feelings toward each other, but this took it to the next level. In letters sent between the two, there was so much passion, that Hamilton's son had to censor some of the words before the letters got published. I wonder what might have gotten censored if little gems like this made their way through: "I wish, my Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words, to convince you that I love you." Awwww! It is not entirely known if Laurens reciprocated Hamilton's passionate feelings, but many of his letters have been lost and destroyed, and some historians take this to mean that they were even more intense than Hamilton's, so were also censored. I wonder what they could have said...
Unfortunately, Laurens died in battle, in 1782 only a few weeks before the British troops surrendered from Charleston. Lots of people, including George Washington, remembered Laurens fondly. Washington recalled, "In a word, he had not a fault that I ever could discover, unless intrepidity bordering upon rashness could come under that denomination; and to this he was excited by the purest motives."
John Laurens was such an important advocate for the freedom of slaves, saying that they have been sunk below the Standard of Humanity. Such a forward thinker should definitely be just as well known to us as the other founding fathers.
