How Button Gwinnett can tell a valuable global story of the birth of American democracy and the horrors of colonialism

The story of the man I am going to tell you about stretches back almost 300 years but my journey with him started on a walk in a local churchyard with my family, when we came across, by chance, an unusual looking tomb. It belonged to the family of Button Gwinnett, a Founding Father of the United States of America and the second signatory of the 1776 Declaration of Independence. In this speech, I will demonstrate how Button Gwinnett can tell a valuable global story of the birth of American democracy and the horrors of colonialism.

Button Gwinnett was born in Down Hatherley in 1735, the son of rector Samuel Gwinnett. In 1762, his financial endeavours as a merchant failed, so he emigrated to America. Gwinnett quickly rose in prominence in Georgia, becoming the largest landowner in the state by 1772. This brings me to the first part of Gwinnet’s global story: democracy.

The revolutionary crisis in the 1770s drew Gwinnett into the political sphere. He was voted to represent his state in the 1776 Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Gwinnett served on two committees in this process, who debated the issues of independence, and on the 2 July 1776, he became the second signatory of the declaration. Today, examples of his signature are valued at up to £500,000.

This document not only created the grounding for the American Constitution and democracy (a highly relevant issue in the wake of the 2024 American Election), but it also marked a pivotal break in ties between Britain and America. Losing control of America meant that vital trade was lost, and with Britain being one of the most dominant global powers, this was a huge blow for the nation’s economy. Additionally, the American Revolution, combined with similar turmoil in France, frightened the British establishment, who feared the country’s people may follow suit and rebel. Therefore, Gwinnett’s story shows the threat to destabilise Britain and send a shockwave of revolutions internationally.

But what relevance can Gwinnett’s role in the Declaration of Independence have to my local history, aside from it just happening to be his birthplace? Well, the history of the US’ creation is fundamentally linked with British politics of the time. The Founding Father’s vision for what “American democracy” should look like was based on the premise of it “fixing” whatever British democracy had, in their eyes, got wrong, in other words, to prevent tyranny. Little is known about Gwinnett’s upbringing, but it does lead to speculation over how his experience growing up in a backwater of rural Gloucestershire, may have informed his voice in the writing process. This likelihood is furthered by the fact that neither Gwinnet nor his father Samuel were of the social standing that they would have been able to vote in a British election. Consequently, the democratic inequalities of the US tie directly into those in Gloucestershire, Britain and the rest of the world.

Gwinnett may thus far appear to be a virtuous advocate for democracy, but it should be acknowledged he was closely linked to slavery. This brings me to the next part of his story: colonialism.

In the mid-1760s, Gwinnett bought many enslaved people. Although he was a terrible farmer and businessmen, eventually forced to sell his slaves and land, Gwinnett nonetheless reflects the state of society in the 18th century, one of hundreds of British American merchants complicit in the transatlantic slave trade. Considering current issues such as culture wars in British politics and recent international disputes over reparations for slavery, Gwinnett’s place in the international narrative bears huge global significance, especially for the lives of the people he “owned,” their descendants and the wider discussion around how we should come to terms with our exploitative and tyrannical past. Therefore, Gwinnett’s story is a microcosm for colonialism.

Despite this, nobody I spoke to over the course of this project, whether family, friends or teachers, knew who Gwinnett actually was. In fact, the only recent exposure he had was during Lin Manuel Miranda’s promotion for his musical “Hamilton”, when he performed a parody musical called “Button!” The joke of it was that Gwinnett was a loser, with a daft name, who died a stupid death in a duel a year after he signed the Declaration. However, despite of, and perhaps even because of, his upbringing in rural Gloucestershire, he had a critical voice in a turning point in American history. Though his presence in Gloucestershire has disappeared save for a family name on an overgrown tombstone, his story acts as a mirror on 18th-century society and can still teach us lessons today about the importance of fighting for and preserving democracy, as well as recognising the global devastation of colonisation.

Portrait of Button Gwinnett, thought to be by Jeremiah Theus (Charleston, South Carolina/Swiss, 1719-1774); public domain, collections of The Gate Museum; via Wikimedia Commons.