Category: 1980 Bicentennial Celebration

President of the United States: Jimmy Carter

Vice President of the United States: Walter Mondale

In the first major celebrations of the battle of Kings Mountain, the members of the community had dedicated a commemorative monument; the battleground was included in the National Parks Service; and the incumbent president of the United States had addressed the crowd. For the Bicentennial Celebration in 1980, the most important milestones had already been reached. Thus, the celebration in 1980 focused on the battle itself and commemorating the historical event that occurred two hundred years prior. In a souvenir flyer, the description of the battle transports the modern reader into the past: “It was a crisp, quiet day in the late summer of 1780. But the stillness was broken by cannon and musket fire from the battle raging on Kings Mountain. Local frontiersmen against the crack British troops of Lord Cornwallis. The frontiersmen won, and many historians believe they turned the tide of the American Revolution.” The Bicentennial Celebration was built upon the achievements of the former celebrations in 1880 and 1930. Most importantly, the 1980 celebration showcased the military strategy that resulted in the legendary Patriot victory.

“Then Conquer We Must” Program

Program for “Then Conquer We Must,” a play by Robert Osborne and adapted by Tom McIntyre, presented September 26–28 and October 3–7, 1980.

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Then Conquer We Must Program — Full PDF available

200th Anniversary Celebration Commemorative Program

A booklet with a short history of the battle, schedule of celebration events, information about the USPS First Day of Issue Ceremony for the Kings Mountain postal card, program of “Then Conquer We Must” program by Robert Osborne, and letters from the following persons:

President Jimmy Carter
Kings Mountain Mayor John Henry Moss
US Army General W.C. Westmoreland
North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.
South Carolina Governor Richard W. Riley
Virginia Governor John N. Dalton
Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander
Georgia Governor George Busbee
US Senator Jesse Helms
US Senator Robert Morgan
US Representative James T. Broyhill
Phillip Burton, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Insular Affairs
Cecil D. Andrus, Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior
Russell E. Dickenson, Director of the United States Department of the Interior