As most of us know, Georgia played a very important role in the Revolutionary War.

Being the youngest colony, people in Georgia were very loyal to the king, like younger children are more loyal to their parents. Dont get me wrong, there were some patriots, or people who wanted independence in Georgia, but most Georgians were Tories, or Loyalists, who were still loyal to the king. Some of these patriots are very important figures in Georgias history, such as Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton. The names may seem familiar, that is because they all have counties named after them, but they also were the Georgia representatives in the Second Continental Congress. These three men signed the Declaration of Independence. There are also many other patriots that arent so famous, who lived in Georgia. They helped other Georgians seek independence, and become one of the most supportive colonies. But what was this group called? The Sons of Liberty, or in Georgia, the Liberty Boys. The Sons of Liberty and the Liberty Boys in Georgia showed great acts of patriotism and bravery. But who are these groups of mainly middle class men? The Sons of Liberty was a secret organization of American colonists formed to protest the Stamp Act, but other groups soon formed after the Stamp Act. The original group was formed in Boston, Massachusetts. The idea of the group was a success, and most colonies formed a group of their own. After the stamp act was repealed, the original groups broke up. Others who did acts of rebellion and showed tremendous patriotism after this were nicknamed Sons of Liberty. The secondary group did things like dump the tea in the Boston harbor.

Now you know about the Sons of Liberty, but who were the Liberty Boys? The liberty boys were Georgias group of protesting patriots. They were part of the Sons of Liberty. Although the Sons of Liberty was in Massachusetts, the Liberty Boys were located in Georgia. Both of these groups protested the Stamp Act and other acts that they thought unfair. They also protested when parliament didnt give the colonies a fair say in laws and acts that would affect the colonies directly. How did these groups rebel from British Acts? Many groups that were part of the Sons of Liberty used violence to get their point across. They did many violent things, and used threats against the kings officials. Some examples of the violent protests are tarring, feathering, and hanging. The groups also had greedy merchants publicly confess the illegal goods they sold/tried to sell. The Sons of Liberty wanted freedom, but how did they influence other colonists to want freedom too? Even though violence wasnt always the right approach, it helped get the Sons of Liberty noticed, and in some cases respected. If there was a big bully at school that barely anyone liked, and then a group of kids stood up to that bully, wouldnt you respect those kids? Also, when the Sons of Liberty started to boycott British goods, it showed great American patriotism. Because Great Britain was the American colonies main trade partner, boycotting British goods was a very brave thing to do. So, who are the Sons of Liberty? Know you know more about the role of Georgia in the Revolutionary War. You also are an expert on the Sons of Liberty! When the Liberty Boys convinced other colonists in Georgia to get independence, Georgia sent food and ammunition North, and started strengthening a home militia. This

helped in the war because the other colonies knew that Georgia was supporting the cause for independence, even if it took them a little longer to do so.