author of A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism - Carol Berkin Carol Berkin
In this sensitive and insightful account of the life of James Wright, governor of Georgia, Greg Brooking provides a nuanced portrait of loyalism that should be read by all students of the Revolution. Brooking shows us that neither Wright nor loyalists in other colonies based their fateful—and often painful—choice on a political ideology that differed from their radical neighbors; instead, they were motivated by individual considerations of family ties, economic circumstances, and personal temperament—just as many who chose independence would be.
author of Three Peoples, One King: Loyalists, Indians, and Slaves in the Revolutionary South, 1775–1782 - Jim Piecuch
For fifteen years, James Wright deftly governed Georgia, overseeing the colony's economic expansion and population growth. Despite frequent conflicts between Georgia's interests and British policy, Wright successfully navigated the difficult course between colonial and imperial demands until the American Revolution brought his leadership to an end. Greg Brooking makes a major contribution to the history of colonial and Revolutionary America with this biography of an important but oft-neglected figure.
author of Past and Prologue and The Memory of ‘76 - Michael D. Hattem
In this richly detailed biography, Greg Brooking recovers the fascinating life of one of the most significant and least studied royal governors and deftly explores the complexities of colonial and revolutionary politics in the South.
author of A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism - Carol Berkin
In this sensitive and insightful account of the life of James Wright, governor of Georgia, Greg Brooking provides a nuanced portrait of loyalism that should be read by all students of the Revolution. Brooking shows us that neither Wright nor loyalists in other colonies based their fateful—and often painful—choice on a political ideology that differed from their radical neighbors; instead, they were motivated by individual considerations of family ties, economic circumstances, and personal temperament—just as many who chose independence would be.
