James Oglethorpe Biography
James Edward Oglethorpe, the
founder of Georgia, was born in
London on December 22, 1696.
He attended Oxford University and
then, while still in his teens,
joined the Army. On the death of
his older brother he became head
of the family estates. Like many
country gentlemen he entered
Parliament.
The turning point in Oglethorpe's
life came when a friend of his was
imprisoned for debt. Eighteenthcentury English law was very
harsh toward people who could
not pay their debts. When his friend died in prison of smallpox, Oglethorpe was
deeply shocked. He began a campaign in Parliament to improve prison
conditions and to obtain the release of poor debtors imprisoned for owing small
sums. However, it was not much use getting poor people out of prison if they
had no means of earning a livelihood. So Oglethorpe decided to establish a
colony in America for them. In 1732 he received from King George II a grant of
land. The new colony was to be called Georgia, after King George.
In 1732 Oglethorpe sailed for America with about 120 settlers. He made his first
settlement at Savannah. Soon more colonists arrived. Not all were debtors. New
settlements were established. Oglethorpe governed firmly but kindly. Rum and
slavery were forbidden. Religious toleration was practiced, and relations with
the Indians were peaceful.
War between Spain and England increased hostilities between Georgia and the
Spanish in Florida. The protection of Georgia rested mainly on Oglethorpe's
leadership and personal bravery. He received little support from the British
Government and had pledged his own credit to help pay for the defense of the
colony. This led to charges of financial irregularities against him. In 1743 he
returned to England and was cleared. Soon after, he married. He served as a
general in the Army and again sat in Parliament. But partly because of
difficulties with the British Government he never returned to Georgia. He died in
England on July 1, 1785.
The Mayflower Campact
In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our
dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland,
King, defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor
of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia,
do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another,
covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering,
and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact,
constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices,
from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the
colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of
November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France,
and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, 1620.
Translation:
We pray to god as we write this. Those of us who signed are subjects of King James. We are
also subjects of god.
We came here for god, for Christianity, for the king, and for England. We are on a voyage to
put a colony into the northern parts of Virginia. Since god agrees, we all agree to work
together in this new land. We will work together to make ourselves better, and to last
longer. We will make laws that we think are the best for the colony, and we promise to
follow these laws completely.
We sign today, at Cape Cod, November 11th, 1620, under the control of King James.
Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643)
Anne Hutchinson was born to a religious family in England in 1591.
When she was 21, she married William Hutchinson, and the two
eventually had 15 children.
While in England, Anne and William began to follow the religious leader
John Cotton, a Puritan who eventually left England to find religious
freedom in America. In 1634, Anne and her family, like thousands of
others, left England to join the Puritan colony of Massachusetts Bay.
The religious climate in the Massachusetts Bay Colony was very strict.
Colonists were expected to follow the teachings of the Puritan Church.
As the colony took hold, ministers emphasized everyone's duty to pray,
fast and live a very religious life.
In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Anne led the life of trusted midwife, housewife, and mother.
She was very kind, gentle, and well spoken, and her nature drew people to her. After several
years in the colony, she started a women’s group, which met in her home to discuss church
sermons. At first, the women discussed the previous Sunday’s sermons given by Reverend
Cotton, but before long, Anne began telling the women about her own beliefs, which were very
different from those of the Massachusetts ministers.
As more and more people started attending her meetings, they became extremely controversial.
Male preachers in the colony did not like Anne’s views on the church, and worried that she
would upset the religious structure of the colony. What started as a religious point of difference
grew into a great divide that threatened the political stability of the colony. To her opponents,
questioning the church meant questioning the State.
In November, Anne was put on trial for speaking out against the religious leaders in
Massachusetts Bay. The men described her meetings as “a thing not tolerable nor comely in the
sight of God, nor fitting for your [gender].” They accused her of breaking the Fifth
Commandment by not honoring her superiors (the church elders). The trial became very heated,
with arguments from both sides. At the end of the trial, Anne was found guilty and banished
from the Massachusetts Colony. She and her family moved to Rhode Island,
When her husband died in 1642, Anne took her children and moved to New York. A year later,
Native Americans attacked the settlements in New York. Anne’s home was raided, and she was
slaughtered along with 13 members of her family. Her youngest daughter was taken captive and
adopted by Native Americans.