Standard:
Essential Question:
Name:
Date:
Per:
T.o.C. #
Activity #1: Economic Factors
Which of the following factors do you believe
is the MOST IMPORTANT difference that
contributed to colonists’ anger with the
trustee system? (2-3 sentences)
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Activity #2: Military Factors
How did defeating the Spanish at the Battle of Bloody Marsh make colonists in Georgia feel
about the future of their colony? (2-3 sentences)
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Activity #3: Changes in a Royal Colony
Which of the changes from Trustee to Royal Colony do you believe would have made the
malcontents most happy? Why? (2-3 sentences)
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From Trustee to
Royal Colony
Standard:
Essential Question:
Royal Georgia Colony Reading
Directions: Read the following excerpt on the Georgia royal colony in preparation for tomorrow’s Socratic Seminar.
Georgia did very well as a royal colony. Georgia added a great deal to the British economy. They exported rice, indigo,
deerskins, lumber, beef, and pork.
Georgia officially became a royal colony when the Trustee period ended in 1752. This meant that the Crown of England
oversaw the control of Georgia. Parliament had to pass a charter in order for Georgia to become an official royal colony.
This process began in 1752, after Parliament dismissed the trustees. It took two years for the charter to go through
Parliament. Georgia did not get its first official governor until 1754.
Royal Governors
John Reynolds was Georgia’s first royal governor. He governed from 1754 to 1757. The British Parliament recalled
Reynolds in 1756 and said that he was ineffective. John Reynolds was a former naval officer and did not have the
political skills to govern well. He angered his cabinet and divided the residents of Georgia. He was not good at
interacting with Native Americans. The French and Indian War was the North American phase of a war between France
and Britain to control land in the colonies, lasting from 1754 to 1763. During this time, many Native American attacks
plagued Georgia settlers. Many Georgians were unhappy with John Reynolds. They wrote to England and asked for his
removal.
Henry Ellis governed Georgia from 1757 to 1760. He built a solid foundation for Georgia. He had skills that Reynolds did
not. He set up a budget and regulated trade with the Native Americans. He also built forts and tried to abolish slavery.
Ellis’s most important skill involved his communication with Native American tribes. He held on to the friendship of the
Creek Nation and declared Georgia’s authority to control the Indian trade. By 1760, an ailing Ellis left Georgia and the
governor position.
The next royal governor was James Wright. James Wright was very popular and held the governor’s position for sixteen
years, from 1760 to 1776. Wright came to Georgia with his experience as attorney general of South Carolina. That,
coupled with the benefit of having seasoned Georgians who served in the assembly, helped Wright develop Georgia
during his term. The peace settlement of the French and Indian War made much more land available for settlement. This
increased the size of Georgia.
Land Grants
Settlers who came to the colony by way of the Trust’s charity, were limited to fifty-acre land grants. Those who paid
their way could have up to 500 acres of land. Those who paid their way were required to have at least one servant or
family member for every fifty acres of their grant. This rule helped ensure that enough men were available to defend the
colony. At that time, only men could own land, but settlers protested. The men wanted their wives and daughters to be
able to inherit their land.
Life in Colonial Georgia
Colonial Georgia was a land of farmers. Most women worked in the home. They prepared food, cared for clothing, and
planted and harvested. Children also contributed to the growth of the colony. The trustees hoped families would
provide both labor and stability for the new colony. People often lived in homes made from tabby. Tabby is a mixture of
mortar and lime that was common as a building material through the colonial period in the coastal Southeast. When the
slavery ban was lifted in 1750, life changed in the colony. Many plantation owners from South Carolina moved to
Georgia to expand their slave-based economy. Plantation owners established socioeconomic structures and
relationships that dominated Georgia’s economy and government.