Even from the earliest days after they moved from North Carolina, the Quakers represented only a small majority of the total white population in northeast Georgia, although a few others of their faith moved down to join them. Governor Wright continued to arrange for more responsible families who arrived in Savannah by ship to pay their small fees and settle either in the newly ceded regions west of the Savannah River or inland from the southern coastal area. Many others, including those like Elijah Clarke and his friends, came to Georgia overland, mostly from the Carolinas. Few of these newcomers had any deep religious commitments, but had come to the region to escape the restraints of more orderly societies and to acquire new lands, whether or not they complied completely with the colonial laws.

Although Governor Wright was always loyal to the king and Parliament and tried to enforce even the unfair laws, he had a well-deserved reputation as a fair and honest man who was respected both by the colonists and by leaders of the Creek, Cherokee, Catawba, and other Indians, even while they were being forced farther and farther westward. He was also effective in obtaining special attention and some financial assistance from London for his young colony, which was seen as a valuable buffer between Spanish Florida and other colonies to the north. In general, there was a stable relationship among the British officials, white settlers, and Indian tribes in Georgia. It was becoming rapidly apparent that this mixture of positive factors did not exist anywhere else in America.

•  •  •

Early in 1774, Ethan and Kindred rode into Wrightsborough to sell three calves and to buy some farm supplies, and they found Joseph Maddock in the general store.

“Hast thou heard the bad news from up north?” he asked.

Ethan said, “No, we don’t get much information out where we live. What has happened now?”

“Well, some of the Boston leaders objected to the price on East India tea, boarded one of the British ships, and threw the cargo over the side into the harbor. It was an open act of rebellion against the crown.”

Ethan commented, “That’s probably because of the special tax on tea that was levied against the colonies. Has it been removed?”

“The tax is still in place, but the British East India Company lowered the price to more than compensate for any tax that has to be paid. The cost of tea actually went down.”

Kindred spoke up for the first time. “I don’t understand why people would object to buying cheaper tea.”