As revolutionary fervor and action spread across the British colonies in the 1770s, two main factions emerged: Loyalists and Patriots.
Loyalists believed the colonies owed their allegiance to the British crown and thus saw the Revolution as a betrayal. The Loyalists were made up of wealthy landowners and merchants, government officials, and clergy members. At the end of the American Revolution, some Loyalists left the country. Those that stayed had lost their property or were exiled during the war.
Patriots believed that the British government oppressed colonists by taxing them without representation, among other issues, and they rebelled against British rule. This faction consisted mostly of tradesmen, farmers, and artisans and eventually achieved independence for the colonies at the end of the Revolution.
Image courtesy of Telfair Museums
Oil painting of royal governor Sir James Wright by Andrea Soldi, c. 1736-1771
In 1758, Georgia’s leadership had been transferred from the Trustees to a royal governor, James Wright, who served in that position—with one Revolutionary interruption—until 1782. Under Wright’s leadership, the colony was split into parishes, which also served as electoral districts and helped colonial officials better regulate church affairs. The land south of the Altamaha River was divided into four parishes, two of which became St. David and St. Patrick. These two parishes were later combined to form the mainland portion of Glynn County in February 1777.
The county was named in honor of John Glynn, an English nobleman who supported the cause of American independence from within the British Parliament.
Image courtesy of Western Kentucky University
1773-1777 map of Georgia’s colonial parishes by Marion R. Hemperley, created in 1979
Several other members of Parliament also publicly championed independence. In 1770, four hundred members formed the Society of Gentlemen Supporters of the Bill of Rights. The Society dually supported John Wilkes, a Parliament member with well-known Patriot sympathies, and the Patriot cause itself.
The Revolutionary ideals of self-governance and democracy certainly had friends in high places: the Society wrote of their shared belief in the “full and equal representation of the people.”
However, as Georgia was a much younger colony, it did not have a long history of self-governance and had been prospering under the royal governor. As a result, Glynn County and much of Coastal Georgia was split between Loyalists and Patriots and was not quick to rebel against the crown, fearing a threat to trade, security, and safety.
This month’s featured images include a 1773-1777 map of Georgia’s colonial parishes by Marion R. Hemperley, created in 1979, courtesy of Western Kentucky University, and an oil painting of royal governor Sir James Wright by Andrea Soldi, c. 1736-1771, courtesy of Telfair Museums.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
