Transcript Document

The Founding of Georgia
Who am I?
James Oglethorpe (1696-1785)
• Founder of Georgia
• Member of
Parliament
• General in the
British Military
• Humanitarian
Who gave Oglethorpe the right to
create Georgia?
• King George II gave
Oglethorpe permission to
create Georgia.
• King George II was the
king of Great Britain.
• Georgia is name for King
George II.
Charter of 1732
Charter of 1732 - a
legal paper that
set:
1. Georgia’s border.
2. Georgia’s
Government.
3. Rights of Settlers.
Charter of 1732
Charter of 1732 banned:
1. Slavery.
2. Large Plantations.
3. Lawyers.
4. Alcohol.
5. Catholics
What were the reasons that
Oglethorpe founded Georgia?
Reasons that Oglethorpe Founded
Georgia
• Economic
• Defense
• Worthy
Poor/Charity
What were the economic reasons
that Oglethorpe wanted to found
Georgia?
Economic Reasons
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Silk
Wine
Oil
Dyes
Drugs
Other natural
resources
What military
reasons did
Oglethorpe
give King
George II for
founding
Georgia?
Military Reasons
• Oglethorpe and King George II
wanted Georgia to be a barrier
between the Spanish in Florida and
the British colony in South
Carolina.
• They also were worried about
attacks from Native Americans.
• They wanted towns on the
Savannah and Altamaha rivers
• In 1737, Oglethorpe convinced
King George II to appoint him as a
Colonel in the Army to help defend
Georgia.
• Oglethorpe brought a regiment of
troops back to Georgia.
Who were the
Worthy Poor?
Why did
Oglethorpe want
to help them?
Worthy Poor
• Poor Laws in England said that if
you did not pay your bills or taxes
you could be thrown in jail.
• Oglethorpe wanted to reform the
Poor laws in England because a
friend died in Debtor’s prison of
smallpox.
• Oglethorpe's became famous for
his effort to correct prison abuses.
• Worthy Poor- people in debtors’
prison who Oglethorpe believed
that if given a chance, England's
"worthy poor" could be farmers
and business men in Georgia.
• Not one formerly jailed debtor was
among the first colonists selected.
The Ship Ann
• In November of 1732, a total
of 114 men, women, and
children set sail for the new
colony of Georgia.
• Their voyage to the New
World took eighty-eight
days.
• On February 12, 1733,
Oglethorpe, the Georgia
colonists, militia, and
African American slaves
cleared the pine forest on
Yamacraw Bluff.
The Ship Ann
• Ann carried sheep, hogs,
Horaces(ugly birds), ducks,
geese, and several dogs.
• Food was simple, mostly
salted pork and peas or dried
beef and sweet pudding.
Bread and hard cider were
served with meals.
• The passengers spent their
days playing games, talking
together, and planning what
they would do when the
voyage was over.
James Oglethorpe (1696-1785)
• In 1722, then 25 years of age, he
entered Parliament.
• He wanted a strong military, a ban on
alcohol, and help for the poor.
• His idea was to send debtors recently
released from prison to a new colony
in America, where they would have
the opportunity to begin life again and
indeed get a fresh start. In June 1732,
he and 19 of his associates obtained
the charter for the Georgia colony.
• Oglethorpe was named as one of
twenty-one Trustees to govern the new
colony.
• Oglethorpe laid out a plan for the new
town of Savannah.
James Oglethorpe (1696-1785)
• After a trip to England, he
returned to Georgia in 1736
and brought with him John
Wesley, the founder of
Methodism.
• In the early 1740's,
Oglethorpe built the defenses
of Georgia and defended the
colony during a war with
Spain.
• In 1743, Oglethorpe returned
to England with a few of his
friends. He never returned to
Georgia.
Tomochichi
Born in 1650.
Chief of the Yamacraw
Indians part of the Lower
Creek..
He was forced to leave his
home and he settled near
Savannah.
He spoke very little English.
He agreed to give
Oglethorpe the land for
settlement.
He wanted to trade for
English goods.
Tomochichi
• He convinced Lower Creek
tribes to give Oglethorpe
more land and to trade more
goods.
• Oglethorpe took him to
England in 1734 to meet
King George II.
• After returning to Georgia, he
fought on the side of
Oglethorpe at the Battle of
Bloody Marsh.
• He later died of old age and
Oglethorpe gave me a
military funeral.
Mary Musgrove
• She was the daughter of
an Englishman and
Creek mother.
• She and her husband
ran a trading post.
• She translated from
Creek to English when
Oglethorpe talked to
Tomochichi.
Savannah
• Savannah was built on
Yamacraw Bluff.
• Colonist used hand tools to cut
down trees to build houses.
• Basic pattern of this first
planned city was designed by
Robert Castell,
• The town was built into squares
to allow for neighborhood
centers
• Each square had 40 house lots.
• Each house lot was 60 feet by
90 feet..
Savannah
• Colonists drank dirty water
from a polluted river.
• 1out of 4 people died
during the first 10 months
of disease and malaria.
• At the end of 12 months,
Savannah had only 50
houses and a few public
buildings.
Trustees
• Charter of 1732 – says
Oglethorpe and 20 of
his associates would
run the Georgia colony
for a period of 21
years.
• Trustee – a person who
is trusted to act on
another’s behalf.
Trustees could not:
1. Get paid for their work.
2. Own land in Georgia.
3. Take public office.
Trustees did not want:
1. Slavery.
2. Large Plantations.
3. Alcohol.
Malcontents
• Malcontents- group of
people who are angry or
unhappy.
• Malcontents were a group
of settlers who disagreed
with the rules in Georgia’s
Charter of 1732.
They wanted:
1. Large Plantations
2. Slaves to build large plantations.
3. To legalize hard liquor.
Salzburgers
• German Protestants who had been forced to
leave Salzburg, Germany.
• They asked Oglethorpe to live in Georgia.
• Began a town called Ebenezer, which
means “the Rock of Help.”
• Because the land was marshy with poor soil
for crops, the Salzburgers asked Oglethorpe
for a better site.
Salzburgers
• In 1736, they moved
to Red Bluff on the
Savannah River.
• There they built
another town, which
they called New
Ebenezer.
• Salzburgers created
the first orphanage in
Georgia.
Highland Scots
• Settled in Darien in 1735.
• For money, they cut
down trees and raised
cattle.
• Known to be good
soldiers.
• Provided troops to
Oglethorpe to defend
Georgia from the
Spanish.
End of the Trustee Period
In 1743, Oglethorpe was called to Great Britain to answer charges that he
had not acted correctly when he failed to capture St. Augustine.
Oglethorpe was cleared of the charges but he did not return to Georgia.
Georgia still had many problems. People were also allowed to begin
buying and selling rum (alcohol) in 1742.
People still wanted to own more land and slaves. By 1750 laws against
land ownership (each person could only own 500 acres of land) and
slavery were repealed. People were now able to own as much land and
as many slaves as they could afford.
In 1752, one year before the end of the Charter of 1732, the trustees
returned Georgia to the authority of King George II and Georgia enters
the Royal Period.
Georgia as a Royal Colony
• ESSENTIAL QUESTION
– How did Georgia change as it transitioned from the
Trustee Period to the Royal Period (i.e. land
ownership, government, and slavery)?
– What impact did the three Royal Governors
(Reynolds, Ellis, and Wright) have on the
development of Georgia?
End of the Trustee Period and a Change in
Government
• Georgia became a Royal Colony when the Trustee Period ended
in 1752.
• Definition: Royal Colony – Colony overseen by the crown of
England.
• The British Parliament had to pass a charter in order for Georgia
to become an official Royal Colony. This process took two
years. Georgia would not get its first official royal governor
until 1754.
• The government of Georgia would change drastically as the
people, under the leadership of the Royal Governors, would
have to learn to govern themselves.
Three Royal Governors:
John Reynolds
• John Reynolds – Georgia’s first royal governor.
• Governed from 1754 to 1757.
• Governor Reynolds introduced the idea of self-government
to the colonists and assisted in the creation of a bicameral
(two houses) legislature and the creation of a court system.
• Eventually, due to a disagreement between Governor
Reynolds and the legislature the legislature was sent home.
Reynolds tried and failed to rule Georgia himself.
• The British Parliament recalled Reynolds in 1757 and said
that he was ineffective.
Three Royal Governors:
Henry Ellis
• Henry Ellis – Georgia’s second royal governor.
• Governed from 1757-1760.
• Governor Ellis tried to learn from the mistakes of John
Reynolds. Ellis set up a budget and regulated trade with the
Native Americans.
• Henry Ellis also worked to increase the size and productivity
of the colony of Georgia. By 1759, the population of the
colony had increased to over 10,000, including 3,600 slaves.
• In 1759, Henry Ellis became ill and returned to Great
Britain. He was replaced as the governor of Georgia in
1760.
Three Royal Governors:
James Wright
• James Wright – Georgia’s third (and last) royal governor.
• Governed from 1760-1776.
• During Governor Wright’s term in office the size of Georgia
increased. After the French and Indian War ended in 1763,
Georgia gained a large amount of land. Governor Wright
believed Georgia could be even more profitable for England
by allowing farmers (and their slaves) to live and work on
this land.
• James Wright continued to serve as the Royal Governor
of Georgia until the beginning of the American
Revolution.
Land Ownership
• Settlers who came to colony of Georgia during the Trustee
Period were limited in the amount of land they could own.
• People who came by way of the Trust’s charity were limited
to 50 acres of land. People who paid their way could have
up to 500 acres of land.
• During the Trustee Period of Georgia’s history only men
could own or inherit land. Many colonists were angry about
this and wanted women to be able to own/inherit land.
• As Georgia continued to develop as a Royal Colony
citizens were given the opportunity to purchase more
land (and use slaves to work the land) and women were
allowed to inherit land.
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Slavery
• During the beginning of the Trustee Period, Georgia’s
state law prohibited slavery (slavery was not allowed).
• Wealthy colonists who could afford to buy enslaved
people demanded to be allowed to bring them to Georgia.
Many farmers believed that in order to compete with
neighboring states (like South Carolina) they had to be
allowed to own slaves.
• Between 1750 and 1775, the number of Africans living in
slavery increased from 500 to 18,000. These slaves had
no rights, were not allowed to marry, were not allowed to
live where they wanted, and were not allowed to learn to
read or write. Slaves who broke these rules were
punished, including beatings, whippings, separation from
friends and family, and even death.
• Africans captured to be sold into slavery crossed the
Atlantic Ocean lying pressed together in crowded ships'
holds. The city of Savannah served as a major port for
the Atlantic slave trade from 1750, when the Georgia
colony repealed its ban on slavery, until 1798, when
the state outlawed the importation of slaves.