{"product_id":"william-henry-drayton","title":"William Henry Drayton","description":"In this exhaustive biography, Keith Krawczynski details the political and social career of William Henry Drayton (1742-1779), an ambitious, wealthy lowcountry planter and zealous patriot leader who was at the center of Revolutionary activity in South Carolina from 1774 until his death five years later. Considered the most effective Whig polemicist in the lower South, Drayton served on all his state's important Revolutionary governing bodies, commanded a frigate of war, was elected chief justice in 1776, co-authored South Carolina's 1778 constitution, and represented the state in the Continental Congress from 1778 until his demise. Although Drayton was a leading radical and the central figure of the American Revolution in South Carolina, historians have largely ignored his contributions. With \u003ci\u003eWilliam Henry Drayton,\u003c\/i\u003e Krawczynski removes this fascinating man from the shadows of history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrayton was an improbable rebel. After receiving his formal education in England, the South Carolina-born Drayton returned to his birthplace as a planter and continued to espouse Royalist ideals. During a later visit to Britain, he was hailed as a champion of British sovereignty. In fact, South Carolina harbored few early revolutionaries, as low-country planters and merchants remained entrenched in the imperial system of trade, backcountry residents strongly identified with the king, and whites feared showing division lest their slaves launch a rebellion. Yet, disgruntled with the king's increasing infringement on American liberties, Drayton embraced the rebel cause with the zealotry of a recent convert and eventually did more to resist British rule than any other resident of the Palmetto State. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause he entered the Revolution as a supporter of the Crown, Drayton's life sheds light on why the planter-mercantile gentry rebelled against the mother country on which it relied for its economic status. His energetic attempts to preserve the provincial hierarchy and keep the reins of government firmly in the hands of the local aristocracy also help to explain why South Carolina's rebellion was more politically conservative than that of other states. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy raising the profile of this South Carolina patriot, \u003ci\u003eWilliam Henry Drayton\u003c\/i\u003e brings new depth to our understanding of the American Revolution.","brand":"Louisiana State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55807358304600,"sku":"9780807126615","price":54.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780807126615.jpg?v=1778679055","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/william-henry-drayton","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}