Province of Georgia

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The Province of Georgia (also Georgia Colony) was one of the Southern colonies in British North America. It was the last of the Thirteen original colonies established by Great Britain in what later became the United States. In the original grant, a narrow strip of the province extended to the Pacific Ocean.

Contents 1 Foundation 2 First settlement 3 Development 4 See also 5 Further reading 6 External links

[edit] Foundation

The colony's corporate charter was granted to James Oglethorpe on April 21, 1732, by George II, for whom the colony was named. Oglethorpe made very strict laws that many colonists disagreed with. Oglethorpe envisioned the province as a location for the resettlement of English debtors and "the worthy poor". Another motivation for the founding of the colony was as a "buffer state" or "garrison province" that would defend the southern part of the British colonies from Spanish Florida. It also would prevent slaves escaping from South Carolina from reaching Florida where they could gain their freedom. Oglethorpe imagined a province populated by "sturdy farmers" that could guard the border; because of this, the colony's charter prohibited slavery.

[edit] First settlement

Oglethorpe, accompanied by the first settlers, arrived on February 12, 1733, at Yamacraw Bluff, in what is now Savannah. The day is still celebrated as Georgia Day. Georgia was originally created to be a safe home for debtors. However, this main purpose was withdrawn and 116 men, women, and children were selected to become the original colonists. No debtors or prisoners were involved in the founding of the colony.

The original charter specified the colony as being between the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers, up to their headwaters (the headwaters of the Altamaha are on the Ocmulgee River), and then extending westward "sea to sea." The area within the charter had previously been part of the original grant of the Province of Carolina, which was closely linked to Georgia.

[edit] Development

The Privy Council finalized the document on June 9, 1732, and the council of trustees governed the province, with the aid of annual subsidies from Parliament, for the next two decades. However, after many difficulties and the departure of Oglethorpe, the trustees proved unable to manage the proprietary colony and on June 23, 1752, the trustees submitted a deed of reconveyance to the crown, one year before the expiration of the charter. On January 7, 1755, Georgia officially ceased to be a trustee colony and became a crown colony.

From 1732 until 1758, the minor civil divisions were districts and towns. In 1758, the province of Georgia was divided into eight parishes, plus another four added in 1765; in 1777, the original eight counties of the State of Georgia were created.

In practice, settlement in the colony was limited to the near vicinity of the Savannah River. The western area of the colony remained the territory of the Creek Indian Confederation until after the American Revolutionary War, when it was ceded to the U.S. in 1805.

In the beginning, the colony had a slow start. James Oglethorpe would not allow liquor and colonists weren't allowed to own more than 500 acres of land. People were starting to get upset, so James finally bent the rules and the colony started to grow much faster.

The price of land in Georgia during the 1600s (around colonization) was the lowest of any of the colonies at the time.

Slavery had been permitted from 1749. [1] There was some internal opposition, particulary from Scots settlers.[2]. But by the time of the War of Independence, Georgia was much like the rest of the South.

After independence, Georgia handed over to Congress parts of their western territories. These became the Mississippi Territory and later (with other adjoining lands) the states of Alabama and Mississippi

[edit] See also

• History of Georgia (U.S. state)
• List of Governors of Georgia

[edit] Further reading

• Coleman, Kenneth (1976). Colonial Georgia: A History. Scribner. ISBN 0-684-14555-3. 
• Hawke, David F. (1966). The Colonial Experience. Bobbs-Merrill Company. ISBN 0-02-351830-8. 

[edit] External links

• LOC: Establishing the Georgia Colony 1732-1750
• Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia: Georgia History
• Sir John Percival papers, also called: The Egmont Papers, 1732-1745. University of Georgia Hargrett Library.
• Diary of Viscount Percival afterwards first Earl of Egmont. University of Georgia Hargrett Library.

The Thirteen Colonies of Colonial America
Connecticut • Delaware • Georgia • Maryland • Massachusetts Bay • New Hampshire • New York • New Jersey • North Carolina • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island and Providence • South Carolina • Virginia