Unit 3 – Exploration and
Colonization
Georgia Studies
Unit 3 – Lesson 2 Notes
The Charter of
1732
 Granted by King George II for 21
trustees to over see the
establishment for 21 years
 All lands between the Savannah
to Altamaha rivers to the Pacific
Ocean
 Colonist were given 50 acres,
agricultural supplies, and food
for 1 year. If they paid their own
way, they got 500 acres and
could bring up to 10 indentured
servants
 Colonist had to defend colony,
grow mulberry trees, not sell
land, could not pass down to
female heirs, and obey all
Trustees rules
 Trustees could not own land,
hold political office, or be given
money
 No Catholics, blacks, liquor
dealers, or lawyers allowed
(Included Jews, but rule was
broken by Oglethorpe)
Reasons for
settlement
 #1 reason was defense.
 Provided a buffer between
successful British South
Carolina and the threat
from Spanish Florida
 Economic (Mercantilism)
wanted colonist to grow
four agricultural products
that could not be grown in
England: wine, rice,
indigo, silk (Mulberry
Trees)
 Charity – colony for the
“worthy poor.” None were
sent however.
Tomochichi
 Chief of the Yamacraw
Indians (created from
members of the Creek
and Yamasee Indians)
 Believed their best
opportunities would come
from an alliance with the
English not Spanish
 Gave permission for
Oglethorpe to settle on
Yamacraw Bluff in hopes
of being allies and trading
partners
 Developed a strong and
long lasting friendship
with Oglethorpe
Mary
Musgrove
 Mary Musgrove served as
an interpreter for
Oglethorpe and
Tomochichi
 John and Mary Musgrove
operated a trading post
near the Savannah river
 Born to a Creek Indian
mother and an English
father, she understood
both cultures and spoke
both languages fluently
 Served as Oglethorpe’s
personal interpreter for 10
years and moved up the
ranks of colonial society
Savannah
 1733 - Georgia’s first city
and former capital
 Unique as one of North
America’s first planned
cities
 Plan was to have four
squares. On the north and
south sides would be
twenty lots. On the east
and west sides would be
four large lots for stores
and churches. The center
of each square was for
gatherings
 Thought that Oglethorpe
got the idea of the city’s
layout from his friend,
Robert Castell
Trustee Period (1732 – 1752)
 21 Trustees were for the most part religious men and social
reformers
 Interviewed over 600 people for the 114 spots on the ship Anne.
 Looked for young, strong people who were not involved in liquor
or interested in slavery
 Oglethorpe was called to England on charges of failing to
capture St. Augustine when he had the opportunity. He never
returned.
 Period ended 1 year before the Charter was set to expire, due to
Oglethorpe’s permanent departure in 1743 and complaints by
the Malcontents over liquor and slavery
 Liquor ban ended in 1742 and Slavery was allowed in 1750
 Several interesting groups immigrated to GA during the Trustee
Period and made major contributions
Salzburgers
 1733 - German speaking
protestants who were forced out of
present day Austria by the Catholic
Church
 Settle in what they called
“Ebenezer”, but the land was too
swampy for crops and had poor
water.
 Gained permission to relocate and
named it “New Ebenezer”
Highland Scots
 1735 - Brought to Georgia by
Oglethorpe based on their
reputation as being the best soldiers
in the world
 Brought a group of 175 Scots
 Given land near abandoned Fort
King George near the Altamaha
river, which they named Darien
 Soil was not good for crops, so they
changed to raising cattle and
harvesting timber
 Became very successful and
credited with developing a water
powered grist mill, a Sunday School,  With a promise to own their land,
and orphanage. Only group to
they fought in the Battle of Bloody
successfully produce silk
Marsh and two failed campaigns to
capture St. Augustine
 Strictly antislavery
 Church they built in 1763 stands
today as the longest running
Lutheran Church in the US
 Strictly antislavery, signed a petition
in 1739 asking for slavery not to be
introduced
Malcontents
 Name given to those
unhappy with the rules
set by the Trustees
Spanish Threat
 “War of Jenkins’ Ear”
gave the English a
reason to attack the
Spanish
 Most paid their own way  Oglethorpe attempted to
take St. Augustine, but
and were not financially
failed
obligated to the Trustees
 Complained about limits  With the help of the
Native Americans and
on land, right to buy
Highland Scots, they
liquor, and the ban on
successfully defeated the
slavery
Spanish at the “Battle of
Bloody Marsh”(1742) on
St. Simons Island
Royal Colony
 1752 - Colony overseen by the crown of England. The process took two
years.
 Georgia had three Royal Governors during the Royal Period
 1754-1756 John Reynolds: Navy Captain, introduced elected officers,
allowed for assembly, and a court system, made a lot of decisions that
angered the colonist, like moving the capital from the Savannah river to
the Ogeechee river, which led to his recall to England
 1757-1760 Henry Ellis: Was a naturalist and scientist, and for a short
time a slave trader, after the debacle of Reynolds’ years, Ellis is credited
with bringing self-government to Georgia, divided Georgia into eight
parishes (counties), and worked to keep the Creeks neutral during war
with the Cherokee, credited with increasing the population in GA, left due
to health, but became a Royal Governor of Nova Scotia
 1760-1776 James Wright: Born in Charles Town, educated in England,
previously served as attorney general of SC, increased military around
Savannah by building palisades and strengthening forts, Sunbury
became GA’s official port, increased the amount of land owned and
increased farm sizes, rice, indigo, and silk became profitable, first news
paper (Georgia Gazette)
Land Ownership
Slavery
 Limits on the amount of land  Some colonist believed in
you could own were removed
order to compete with other
colonies like SC, slaves were
 Farmer could borrow money
needed
to purchase more land to
work, from 1 to 7 million
 Increased from 500 in 1750
acres
to 18,000 in 1775
 Got more land from the
Native Americans and
Spanish
 “Undesirables” mostly of
Scots-Irish decent from
Virginia and SC became
known as “Crackers”
 Slaves had no rights, treated
like livestock
 Not allowed to marry, live
where they wish, learn to
read/write, were punished
severally at times if rules
were broken