Transcript From Trustee Colony to Royal Colony

From Trustee Colony to Royal Colony
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Trustee period: 17321752
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Referred to as Trustee
Georgia because during
that time a Board of
Trustees ruled the
colony
The seal adopted by the Georgia Trustees
features a silkworm, mulberry leaf, and cocoon,
representing their hopes that the colonists would
establish a thriving silk industry. The Latin motto
Non sibi sed aliis translates as "Not for self, but
for others."
Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society
Ending the Trustee Period
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During the 20 years of the Trustee period,
many accomplishments were made:
 5500 people had settled in Georgia,
building homes and starting new lives
 Settlers escaping religious persecution
were able to worship freely
 Treaties with the Native Americans, as
well as the elimination of the Spanish
threat of invasion (Battle of Bloody
Marsh), had ended the need for British
protection
 Court system still functioned: by 1750,
colonists had gained outright
ownership of land, and women were
able to inherit property
 Bethesda Orphans Home in Ebenezer
became Bethesda House (school)
 Provided basic education to many
future Georgia leaders
Bethesda Home for Boys, 1740
1361 PH Georgia Historical Society Photograph Collection, Box 7, Folder 12, Item 1303
Georgia as a Royal Colony
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When the original charter ended in 1752, Georgia
became a British royal colony (this lasted until the end
of the American Revolution—1783)
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Royal colony: one directly governed by the king
Proprietary colony (GA: 1732-1752): governed by a board
of trustees
1752: Puritans from SC started moving into presentday Liberty County, bringing their slaves with them.
They began growing rice and indigo (why?) and built
a port at Sunbury so that planters could ship their
crops
John Reynolds
(1st royal Governor:1754-1757)
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Arrived in Georgia on
October 1, 1754—
colonists cheered at his
arrival
Introduced the idea of
self-government: wanted
the colonists to help run
the government
Set up a court system:
Court of Conscience
Government in the Royal Colony
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Bicameral (two chamber) legislature was set up to represent the 8
parishes of the colony
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Lower house: Commons House of Assembly
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Those wishing to join the Assembly had to own at least 500 acres of land
Upper house: Governor’s Council
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Parish: a British government district
King of England appointed members of the Governor’s Council
New government met for the 1st time in 1755 in Savannah
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reorganized state militia
passed bills to build/repair roads
drew up codes to restrict the rights of slaves
Court system in the Royal Colony
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Court of Conscience:
presided over by a local
justice of the peace
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When colonists had
complaints, they would go
before this court
Cases that could not be
settled went to the
Governor’s Council
Reynolds’ downfall
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Reynolds dissolved the legislature
when he felt threatened that they
would undermine his authority
Without the legislature, Reynolds
attempted to run the government
himself, making the colonists angry
Angry colonists (including a large
land-holder) wrote to King George
complaining about Reynolds
actions. He relinquished control of
Georgia to Henry Ellis in 1757
King George II—in a Royal Colony, the
King has ultimate control
Henry Ellis (1757-1760
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Took control after Reynolds
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Brought people together from many
different political groups
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Learned quickly from Reynolds’
mistakes
Population almost doubled under his
term: 1759—population was about
10,000 including 3,600 slaves
Colony made several economic gains
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profitable farms
more merchants with a greater variety
of goods
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This allowed colonists to buy things
they could not grow or manufacture
(cloth, sugar, farming tools, seeds for
planting)
Left office after becoming ill in 1760
Carte de la Caroline and Georgia Pour Servir a
l'Histoire Generale des Voyages, drawn by M. B. Ing
of the French Navy, 1757
(Map of Carolina and Georgia to Serve the General
History of Travels)
Georgia Historical Society Map Collection, #298 SS
James Wright (1760-1781)
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3rd Royal governor
Born in S.C. (was the previous S.C. Attorney
General
Loyal to the King, but wanted the colonies to
prosper
Believed that Georgia would continue to grow
if:
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Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library,
University of Georgia Libraries
large farms were bigger
trading expanded
western lands of the colony were opened to
settlers
At first, he believed in Reynolds’ concept of
self-government, and colonists were pleased
with him in the beginning
Changes in Georgia (1760-1781)
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Completed defenses around Savannah
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surrounded with palisades (strong
wooden wall for defense)
area forts made stronger
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Sunbury: became the colony’s official
port of entry for ships from other
colonies and countries
Economy was growing
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both legislative houses worked together
to build the economy (rice, indigo, silk)
farmers were allowed to borrow more
money and buy land
More schools/books (mostly for upper
class)
Georgia Gazette: 1st newspaper in the
colony
Mothers dying in childbirth
Schools were mostly for upper-class
So-called “undesirable people”: settlers
from Virginia and the Carolinas who
settled in the middle and western parts of
the colony
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Came to be known as ‘crackers’
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meant to be an insult for the lower classes
thought of as people who did not obey
the law and were not welcome in the
colony
No colony defense plan
Lower class wanted a voice in
government
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Independence Movement:
economic and political freedom
Slavery in the Royal Georgia Colony
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1750: Trustee’s law banning slavery
lifted
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Between 1750-1775, the number of
Africans living in slavery in Georgia
increased from 500-18,000
Slaves had no legal rights to private
lives
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could not legally marry or live where
they wanted
usually were not taught to read
rebellion against slave owners was
nearly impossible
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punishment included separation from
family, beatings, death
By the mid-1750’s, previous debates
against slavery were non-existent:
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Almost every white person in the
Georgia low-country believed that
having slaves was essential to their
economic prosperity
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.
--From “The New Georgia Encyclopedia”