Georgia

=**Founding of the Colony**= The colony of Georgia was founded in 1732 by James Oglethorpe under a charter from the king. It was named in honor of King George II. This colony was used as a place where debtors and prisoners could start a new life in the colonies after they paid off their debts to Great Britain. The colony also served for military purposes to protect the other colonies. It was used as a barrier against an expansion from Spanish Florida. The main economic activity for the Georgia colony was general farming, rice and indigo, naval stores, and cattle. The colony was a royal colony which means one where the governor is named by the king to be chief executive ruled directly by the king. The first settlement was Savannah, but today the capital is Atlanta.

One important person that really influenced the Georgia colony was James Oglethorpe. He was born on December 22, 1696 and died June 30, 1785. He was a member of parliament, British General, philanthropist and he also founded the Georgia colony. He helped resettle British's poor and especially the people in debtor's prison in the new world. He was the son of Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe. To find Georgia he sailed for 88 days. James arrived in South Carolina on the ship Ann in late 1732. In order to get land for his colony, he had to negotiate with the Yamacraw tribe. They settled on land and he eventually became friends with the Chief. After a while he returned to England and ordered for slavery and rum to be abolished in Georgia. There were many disputes throughout this time because the people did not agree with what he was trying to do. He tried to do the best he could by overcoming the angry citizens. There was a war against English Georgia and Spanish Florida, called The War of Jenkin's Ear. By this time James realized he could not handle the colony of Georgia any longer, so William Stephens was named the leader of the colony. James Oglethorpe died at the age of 88.

Resources: http://www.historywiz.com/georgia.htm http://americanhistory.about.com/cs/colonialamerica/p/georgiacolony.htm http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/people/oglethorpe.html and notes/textbook