Yemassee: A Romance of Carolina was written by William Gilmore Simms in 1835. It is a novel that tells the false history of the Yemassee Indians. In the story, the protagonist is a white settler who saves the town from an impending tribal attack. The story is filled with racist tropes and archetypal characters that make it all too predictable. The first of three such characters is Beth Matthews, who is written as the damsel in distress. Her future is in the hands of her father, who at first refuses to let her marry the protagonist, Gabriel Harrison. Bess is only allowed to marry Harrison when he proves himself to her father. At one point in the story, she is saved by Occonestoga, a Yemassee Indian who is running from his family. He saves her from a rattlesnake in the woods, which further entangles the tribe and settlers. The second trope of the story is that of Sanutee, Occonestoga’s father and chief of the tribe. He is written as an overly proud leader who would rather die than give up his homeland. Sanutee leads the tribe into a battle against the settlers when he refuses to sell his land. The settlers end up bringing their militia and terminating the tribe. Sanutee’s pride gets the best of him in many political and familial situations. His character plays on the trope of a proud but not politically smart chief. The third trope is the character of Hector. Hector is Harrison’s devoted slave. He is painfully written to play the abiding and loving slave who chooses to be with his master by his own free will. Hector attempts to save Harrison. In repayment, Harrison offers him his freedom. However, Hector refuses and requests to stay by the side of his benevolent master. Through these three tropes, Simms reifies racial stereotypes of the time and attempts to justify the oppression taking place. Genocide against the Yemassee is justified through the tribe’s irrational refusal to sell land and their partnership with the Spanish. In addition, slavery is written as gracious and non-violent.