It was not surprising that when delegates from the other twelve colonies convened, they voted to “lament Georgia with resentment.” Neither in Savannah nor in Philadelphia was there serious talk of a revolution or any breaking of ties with Great Britain. In fact, it seemed that the colonial delegates agreed more with the sentiments of the Quakers than with any other group in Georgia. Disappointing many of the more fervent colonists, the delegates almost unanimously preferred reconciliation with Britain, and sent an “olive branch” petition to London affirming their loyalty to George III and urging him to renounce the abusive actions of Parliament.I

Despite the moderate decisions of the Continental Congress, there was wide support in Carolina and even some in Savannah for much more confrontational action. A more radical group, the Liberty Boys, let it be known that they were prepared to act with violence. Fourteen Georgia Whigs were arrested when they publicly supported the scattered acts of rebellion in Massachusetts, and it was obvious that there were others like them in the community. As part of a wide-ranging effort to demonstrate loyalty to the king, Governor Wright sent messengers throughout the colony to request that Georgians sign a petition condemning the disloyal Whigs. Except for small groups of dissident settlers like those being influenced by Elijah Clarke, there was little condemnation of the British in north Georgia. Elder Joseph Maddock led almost all the Quakers in signing the paper and, despite Ethan Pratt’s advice to stay aloof from these political struggles, Kindred Morris put his signature on the document, having no way to know how much grief this would cause him in the future.

Disgusted with timid leaders in other parts of the colony, Lachlan McIntosh and other Scotsmen called another meeting in Darien in early January 1775, where they equated current problems with justification for their ancient animosity toward the English as “such oppressions neither we nor our fathers were able to bear, and it drove us to the wilderness.” There was enthusiastic support among the Scotsmen for Georgia’s full association with the other colonies, and the group tried to sway opinion in Savannah by passing a resolution that approved the conduct of “the brave people of Boston and Massachusetts Bay to preserve their liberty”; endorsed “all resolutions passed by the American Congress”; condemned a series of unlawful acts passed by the British Parliament; and urged the appointment of two delegates to the Continental Congress to be held in Philadelphia in May. They vowed never to become slaves of England, declared their “disapprobation and abhorrence of the unnatural practice of slavery in America,” and urged the manumission of all slaves and compensation for owners. Lachlan was the first signer, and the others quickly added their names.

I It was signed by almost every leader who would, in the near future, sign the Declaration of Independence.

CHAPTER 16

Massacre of the Indians