Summary: Just as the American Revolution was a rebellion of the young colonies against the mother country, it was also a conflict that divided the generations. The older generation had prospered under British mercantilism, but the benefits of mercantilism were not readily evident to the younger generation. The Habersham family illustrated the divide. James Habersham, councilor to Governor James Wright, had become a rich man in the colony. He sided with the crown and was known as a “Tory.” Joseph Habersham, James’s son, joined the “Liberty Boys” to protest taxation. Historians discuss the pros and cons of British rule
