There once was a man
named James Oglethorpe,
who served as a British
soldier and member of
Parliament, which is
England’s legislative
branch. The legislative
branch of government
makes the laws.
Oglethorpe’s best friend, Robert Castell, could
not afford to pay his taxes. He was put into the
London’s Fleet Prison, where he had to pay fees
for being in prison! Oglethorpe went to visit him
often.
What neither of them knew, was that Castell’s
cellmate had smallpox…
Oglethorpe was devastated
to hear the news of his friend
Castell’s death. He decided to
devote his life to changing
the way the prison systems
worked, so that this would
not happen to others. His
desire to change the prisons
is called prison reform.
Oglethorpe investigated the
prisons and saw the horrible
conditions, abuses, and
extortion prisoners faced. He
also was alarmed that so
many British citizens faced
jail for no other reason than
indebtedness.
Oglethorpe investigated the prisons and saw the
horrible conditions, abuses, and extortion
prisoners faced. He also was alarmed that so
many British citizens were put into jail simply
because they were in debt.
He devised a plan that
would solve the problems
he witnessed in England.
He would move all of the
worthy poor to the New
World. All he needed was
to convince the King that
it would be a good idea.
He went to King George
II, prepared to offer 3
reasons why it would be
in the King’s interest to
allow him to create the
colony that he would
call…Georgia.
“Your Royal Majesty,” he began,
“thank you for taking the time out
of your busy day to see a humble
servant such as myself. It is such
an honor to be in your presence,
that I almost forget what it is that
I am here for.”
The King replied, “Oglethorpe, it is
good to see you. To what do I owe
the pleasure of this visit?”
“Well, your Majesty, I have
come with a brilliant idea. I
would like to create a colony in
the New World, which I will
name Georgia, in your honor!”
Oglethorpe began.
“Hmmm, interesting,” the King
replied, “tell me more of your
thoughts.”
“Well, your Eminence, there are
three ways that the creation of
this colony would ensure your
place in history as one of the
greatest kings to ever live.”
Oglethorpe took a deep breath. He
knew he had to make his arguments
convincing if he were to get his way.
Reason 1
“Your Majesty, how would it look
to the people, if you were to
allow all the poor, indebted souls
that overcrowd your jails to get a
second chance to make
something of themselves? It
would be so charitable of you to
do this for your people. They
would ooh and aah at how
generous you are! The people
would forever remember how
caring you were for the welfare of
all of your people!”
“I see your point. The people would think that I
am very kind and generous. King George, the
powerful but charitable king. I like the sound of
this. Continue, Oglethorpe. You have my
attention.”
Reason 2
“Oh, your Majesty, that is but
one reason it is in your best
interest to create this colony.
Another reason is that it would
strengthen England’s economy.
Our system of mercantilism,
exporting more goods than we
import, can be difficult. We
cannot always export more than
we want to import. However, a
colony in the New World might
provide goods for free that we
normally have to buy from other
countries. Think of it, a free
source of resources! Why, it will
make you even wealthier!”
“Why, you may just be a genius, Oglethorpe! I
value and am impressed by your creative
thinking. I am becoming more convinced that
you may in fact be correct. However, I still have
some concerns about this colony. How do I
know that it will truly be worth it?”
Reason 3
“I have one more reason that will
surely convince that my idea is
worth entertaining. This new
Georgia colony could serve as a
defense against Spain. Think of it,
your Majesty! Spain is in St.
Augustine, Florida. If we build a
colony above it, it could protect our
land in South Carolina from an
invasion from Spain. It would be in
between Spain and South
Carolina—it would be a buffer
colony. We could prevent Spain
from expanding its land and
spreading it blasphemous ideas!”
“That’s it! I’ve heard
enough! Oglethorpe, I
hereby grant you a charter
to create an English colony,
named Georgia, for the
country of England. I shall
entrust you and a group of
22 trustees, who will run
and oversee the colony for
me, as I will remain here, in
England. Be wise in your
decisions, Oglethorpe. This
is an opportunity to prove
our strength over our
competition! You must not
fail. Good luck!”