Although often overlooked today, the Regulator movement of the late 1760s had a major influence on the development of South Carolina during the era right before the Revolutionary War.

The Regulators were mostly wealthier landholders who grew tired of the colonial government in Charleston ignoring the Carolina backcountry’s needs. They began to take the law into their own hands.

They demanded that the backcountry should be given local jails and courts and more colonial Assembly representation.

They wanted to stop those who lived off of hunting who they considered “bandits.”

The movement came to an end with the passage of the Circuit Court Act in 1769 which provided for a court system and more law enforcement in the backcountry. JR Fennell is Lexington County Museum director.