Georgia Studies Notes
 Georgia began as a Trustee Colony with its original
charter in 1732.
 The Trustee Period lasted from 1733 to 1752.
Plans for
City of
Savannah
 James Oglethorpe
 21 trustees
 King (George II) is
ultimate authority
James Oglethorpe
 King had ultimate
authority
 Trustees made
regulations which had
to be obeyed by
colonists
King George II
 All lands between
the Altamaha and
Savannah Rivers
west to the Pacific
Ocean
Boundaries in original charter
Mulberry Tree
 Original colonists were given 50 acres of land
 Colonists who could afford to pay their way
to Georgia were given 500 acres
 Slavery was not
allowed by the
Charter of 1732
Charter of 1732
 The original settlers were all Protestants
 Within a short period of time, Georgia also
had Jewish settlers
Christ Church in Savannah
John Wesley
Aside from original settlers who came on
The Anne, many new settlers arrived
during the Trustee Period:
 Salzburgers
 Moravians
 Highland Scots
 Malcontents
 Originated in Salzburg, Germany
 Came to Georgia because they were expelled
from Catholic Germany for being Protestant
 Settled in Ebenezer
 Relocated to New Ebenezer because of issue with
the original land
 Opposed to slavery
New Ebenezer
 Came to Georgia from Scotland
 Settled in Darien, Georgia
 Rebuilt Fort King George
 Opposed to slavery
Fort King George
 Mainly composed of Scottish settlers
near Savannah
 Arrived in Georgia by paying their
own way, so they did not feel the same
loyalty to James Oglethorpe
 Objected to three trustee rules:
 Limits on land ownership
 Law against slavery
 Law against rum
Cover of official
protest
 Felt these laws limited their ability to
earn money
 In 1739, war broke out between England and
Spain
 This gave Oglethorpe a good reason to invade
Florida which was controlled by Spain
 2000 men (mainly Native Americans and settlers
from GA & SC) fought to take over Spanish forts
in Florida
War of Jenkin’s Ear
 Not much progress was made until July 1742 in the
Battle of Bloody Marsh
 In this battle, Highland Scots assisted Oglethorpe’s
forces. This surprise attack caught the Spanish forces
off guard and was the beginning of a safe southern
frontier for the British.
Battle of Bloody Marsh
 The Spanish eventually left the area for good after a
note was sent to a British deserter warning of an
impending attack by arriving ships. The arriving
ships were actually trading ships, but the Spanish
thought they would be outnumbered and gave up.
Georgia’s Royal Colony Period lasted from 1752 - 1783
 John Reynolds – (1754-1757) first Royal Governor
(ineffective)
 Henry Ellis – (1757-1760) second Royal Governor
(established foundation for government)
 James Wright – (1760-1782) third Royal Governor
(efficient and popular)
 King appointed Governor &
Council
 There was a bi-cameral legislature
set up to represent the original
parishes in GA
 Parish is a church and
government
Parishes
 After the French & Indian
War, (1763) the southern
boundary was set to the St.
Mary’s River & the western
boundary was set at the
Mississippi River
 Determined right to vote
 To vote, settlers had to own 50 acres
 Determined right to hold office
 To be in office, settlers had to own 500
acres
 January 1, 1751 – Slavery was allowed because the
colonists were frustrated by the success of their
neighbors to the north who were becoming prosperous
under slavery
Slave ship
 Once slavery was allowed, Puritans from
South Carolina arrived in Georgia in 1752
and settled in Midway, just southwest of
Savannah.
 Colonial officials granted the Puritans
large land grants because the large
population would serve as a defensive
buffer against the Creek Indians.
 New settlers arrived from South
Carolina and the West Indies (who
also brought slaves)
 New settlers arrived after boundaries
were expanded after the French &
Indian War (1763)
 Some were considered undesirable
(Crackers)
Georgia “crackers”