Georgia in a “Flash” SS8H2

James Oglethorpe Born into a wealthy family A British soldier member of British Parliament Became an advocate for prison reform after a friend died in an overcrowded Debtor’s Prison Secured a charter from King George II to establish a colony south of Carolina A place for the “worthy poor” to start over

Trustees A group of 21 men who were chosen to oversee the Georgia colony for 21 years. They were not to make a profit off of the colony. Why would this be important?

King George II King of England from 1727 – 1760 Ruled over a time of great poverty and overcrowding in England Many wars had nearly bankrupted the country At the same time, the country was establishing colonies to try and improve their nations’ economy

Charter of 1732 & Reasons for Settlement A charter is a legal document that grants special rights and privileges. The GA Colony had several rules No Catholics No Blacks No lawyers No buying/selling land No liquor dealers or liquor production/consumption Reasons for Settlement Defense To defend the profitable Carolina colony from the Spanish threat in Florida Economics To provide resources back to the home country Charity To provide relief to the debtors and overcrowding in England, and to offer a chance for the “worthy poor” to start over

Chief Tom He was the leader of the Yamacraw (Creek) tribe He granted permission to Oglethorpe and his settlers to establish the Georgia Colony on Yamacraw Bluff Established a friendship with Oglethorpe that lasted until the Chief’s death

Mary Musgrove She was born to a Creek mother and an English father. She acted as an interpreter for Oglethorpe with Chief Tom This allowed the GA colony to have a smoother establishment than most other colonies

City of Savannah The city was created in such a way that each resident had an equal amount of land This prevented classes from forming (inequality) Each settler was to work their land Silk and grapes from wine were supposed to be the top items GA produced 40 settlers died in the first year Climate, disease, poor sanitation

Salzburgers German Protestants seeking religious freedom Led by John Martin Bolzius Established the city of Ebenezer Moved after a year due to flooding and poor land New city called “New Ebenezer”

malcontents The word malcontent means “unhappy” The malcontents were made up mostly of Scottish settlers, but many others as well who were unhappy with the restrictions against: Land ownership Slavery Production & sales of liquor

Highland scots Oglethorpe recruited about 175 people from Scotland to help provide protection from the Spanish in Florida The Highland Scots were known for their bravery and fighting skills Established the town & fort of Darien Helped Oglethorpe defeat the Spanish at the Battle of Bloody Marsh

Spanish threat from Florida The Spanish still controlled Florida, and they were constantly a threat to the British colonies. Oglethorpe and other colonists had to defend themselves from the Spanish at the Battle of Bloody Marsh. Oglethorpe and his men (mostly Highland Scots) were able to defeat the superior Spanish Army. This defeat caused the Spanish to give up their plans to attack the British, and weakened their army even further.

STOP HERE FOR QUIZ ON 9-12-16

Governor jOhn Reynolds (1754-1757) J.R. came first Reynolds wanted the colonists to help run the government: a bicameral legislature and a court system were created. He helped reorganized the militia and built/repaired roads. He did not get along with the legislature, and was removed from office

Governor Henry ellis (1757-1760) he was next As governor, Ellis brought together people from many different political groups (everyone’s getting along!) Many people migrated to GA from South Carolina & the West Indies. They brought slaves with them, and Ellis granted them large tracts of land. Farms and businesses profited when Ellis was in office. Ellis ended up getting sick and left GA.

Governor james Wright (1760-1776) james was the right man Wright believed in large farms, trade expansion, & giving western lands to settlers. Under Wright’s leadership a palisade was created to defend Savannah, more people became land owners, a ton of silk was exported to England, and more schools were built (literacy increased).