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Monday, July 3, 2006
Button Gwinnett’s spirit lives on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For me the Fourth of July is the most special day in American history.
It is a day that should mean more than backyard barbecues, fireworks, and an extra day of summer shopping. Without the boldness and courage displayed by the signers of the Declaration of Independence, America as we experience it and love it, may never have existed.
On the Fourth of July 1776, the men who signed this historic document, committed treason against the British Crown. If caught the penalty was likely to be death by hanging. Among those men willing to sacrifice their lives in exchange for being free of British rule were three Georgians: Lyman Hall, George Walton, and Button Gwinnett.
Many people fail to realize that Georgia is one of the original 13 colonies. The first colony founded by the London Company in 1607 was Virginia.
The last colony founded by James Edward Oglethorpe in 1732 and became a Royal Colony in 1752, is our beloved Georgia.
Today’s Gwinnett reflects the spirit of the man the county was named after. Button Gwinnett, like many Gwinnettians today, was an immigrant who hoped to improve his life by settling in the Americas. Gwinnett was born in 1735, in Gloucestershire, England.
When Gwinnett was about 22 years old, he emigrated from England to Charleston, S.C., but later moved to Savannah, Georgia. Although Gwinnett County is named after him, it’s likely than he never set foot here. The land belonged to the Cherokees in his day.
Gwinnett was an outspoken critic of the Crown and his enthusiasm was recognized. He was chosen to be a representative at the Continental Congress, where he added his name to the Declaration of Independence.
Unfortunately, less than a year after the famous signing, Gwinnett died. Upon returning to Georgia, Gwinnett ran for governor and lost to his opponent and “personal enemy,” Lachland McIntosh. Their bitterness towards each other was so great that Gwinnett challenged McIntosh to a duel on May 15, 1777. Both men were badly wounded and Gwinnett died on May 27, 1777.
Because Gwinnett died so soon after the Declaration of Independence was signed; there are very few other documents that have his signature - this makes Gwinnett’s signature among the rarest of all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In 2001 his signature sold for $110,000 at Sotheby’s, more than an album signed by all four Beatles.
Happy Birthday America!
How do you celebrate the Fourth of July?
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