DEVELOPMENT AND SETTLEMENT OF GEORGIA

Development and Settlement of Georgia

Development and Settlement of Georgia

Indians occupied the region that is now the state of Georgia long before white men ever set foot on it. The main tribes were the Cherokee and Creek. Spanish soldier Hernando DE SOTO was the first to explore the Georgia region. He landed in Florida in 1539 and marched across Georgia approximately a year later (Bailey, 1971, 19). DE SOTO is believed to have crossed the Ocmulgee River near present-day Macon, and the Savannah River where now stands Augusta. He eventually went west to the Mississippi River, where he died. Claiming to have explored the area earlier, England also asserted their hold of the Georgia region. And when the French founded Mobile in 1702, they threw their hat into the ring as well. The first to succeed in colonizing Georgia was James Edward Oglethorpe, of London, in 1733.

James Oglethorpe was born in 1696 in, as stated, London (Cashin, 2004). He was educated at Eton College and Oxford University, served in the army, and was elected to Parliament in 1722. With the help of Lord John PERCIVAL, Oglethorpe organized a group of 21 men to establish a new colony in America. His plan was one for relief of the poor, unemployed, and persecuted Protestants. Though Oglethorpe was responsible for prison reform and the release of thousands of imprisoned debtors in 1728-1729, the idea that he sent those debtors to Georgia is unfounded. By 1732, Oglethorpe was consumed with colonial defense (Thaddeus, 1841, 424pp). In addition to defense, some were hopeful the new colony of Georgia would produce silk and wine, so it would be unnecessary for the Empire to import these goods from foreign countries. On 9 June 1732 a charter was granted by King George II, establishing the Colony of Georgia in America. This included the region between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers and westward from the heads of these rivers to the Pacific Ocean (Bailey, 1971, 19).

Oglethorpe sailed for 88 days, arriving in Charleston, South Carolina on the ship Anne in late 1732, and settled near the present site of Savannah, Georgia on February 12, 1733. He negotiated with the Creek tribe for land and established a series of defensive forts, most notably Fort Frederica, of which substantial remains can still be visited. He then returned to England and arranged to have slavery banned in Georgia (Cashin, 2004). Oglethorpe and his fellow trustees were granted a Royal Charter for the Province of Georgia between the Savannah and Altamira rivers on June 9, 1732 (Thaddeus, 1841, 424pp). Georgia was a key contested area, lying in between the two colonies. It was Oglethorpe's idea that British debtors should be released from prison and sent to Georgia. Although it is often repeated that this would theoretically rid Britain of its so-called undesirable elements, in fact it was Britain's "worthy poor" whom Oglethorpe wanted in Georgia. Ultimately, few debtors ended up in Georgia, the colonists included many Scots whose pioneering skills greatly ...