Andrew Pickens was a plantation owner whose property was near Seneca, South Carolina, which is almost as far west as you can go and still be in South Carolina.

As the Cherokee-American wars wore down, Pickens was able to sign peace treaties with the tribe, which was known as the Treaty of Hopewell.

Meanwhile, in the American Revolution, Pickens had to surrender the fort in the Ninety-Six District. He agreed to sit out the war as part of his parole, but when the British later destroyed most of his property, all bets were off. He led numerous campaigns in South Carolina and Georgia, making him popular enough the he was elected to the House of Representatives from 1781 through 1793.

It’s worth noting that some of his Revolutionary War battles were the basis of some scenes in the 2000 film The Patriot.

Andrew Pickens was one of only nine Representatives to vote against the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution, which prevents states from sovereign immunity in lawsuits against them by citizens of another state. For example, under the amendment a private citizen from Virginia is allowed to sue the state of Tennessee, and Tennessee cannot claim that the person has no standing because they’re not a citizen of Tennessee.

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And no, I do not apologize for the title of today’s episode.