Name___________________________________________Date____________________
Georgia as a Royal Colony
Royal Governors
What he believed…
1.
John
Reynolds
How the colonists
felt about him…
Henry
Ellis
How the colonists
felt about him…
James
Wright
How the colonists
felt about him…
What he did about it…
1.
John Reynolds
On October 1, 1754, Georgians cheered when John Reynolds, Georgia’s first royal
governor, arrived. He governed from 1754 to 1757. Because the trustees had believed that
the first Georgia settlers were not able to govern themselves, they had not given the
colonists the right to vote, hold elections, or collect taxes. John Reynolds, a former naval
officer, did not agree. He believed that the colonists should have a say in the government.
He introduced the idea of self-government in order to promote this belief. But, he did not
have the political skills to govern well, which ultimately caused him many problems. He
also believed that the people should be able to take problems to court, rather than try and
work out everything themselves. He set up a court system for the colonists to use to settle
arguments, and set up a bicameral (two-chamber) legislature with a capital in Savannah,
Georgia’s largest city. But, he angered his cabinet and divided the residents of Georgia by
refusing to listen to their opinions about anything. He was not good at interacting with
Native Americans. This skill was especially important since his tenure began around the
beginning of the French and Indian War. Many Georgians were unhappy with John
Reynolds. They wrote to England and asked for his removal. The British Parliament
recalled Reynolds in 1752 and said that he was ineffective.
Henry Ellis
Henry Ellis governed Georgia from 1757 to 1760. He was a naturalist and scientist who
had led voyages to many different parts of the world. He built a solid foundation for
Georgia. He, like Reynolds, believed that the colonists should have a say in the
government. He had skills that enabled him to set up a budget and regulate trade with the
Native Americans. Ellis’ most important skill involved his communication with Native
American tribes. He felt that a solid relationship with the Native Americans was very
important. In order to ensure that this happened, he held on to the friendship of the Creek
Nation so as to maintain support throughout the French and Indian War. Ellis supported
slavery, and had in fact previous to being governor of Georgia, been a slave trader. While
Ellis was governor, new colonists came to Georgia from South Carolina and the West
Indies. Many of these new settlers brought slaves with them, and the governor granted the
newcomers large amounts of land. By 1759, the population of the colony had grown to
about 10,000, including 3,600 slaves. Ellis was popular, and under his direction the
colony made economic gains. There were more and profitable farms. There were more
merchants with a greater variety of items to sell, so people could buy more things.
Eventually, Ellis became ill, and asked to return to Great Britain.
James Wright
James Wright was popular and held the governor’s position for sixteen years, from 1760
to 1776. Like governors before him, Wright believed in self-government for the colonists.
The colonists were pleased with him because he believed in self-government where the
colonists would help run the government. Wright came to Georgia with his experience as
attorney general of South Carolina. During his early years as governor, Wright devoted
time to strengthening the colony in many ways. He completed the defenses around
Savannah, surrounding it with palisades. He believed that Georgia would continue to
grow if large farms were even bigger, trading expanded, and if the western lands of the
colony were opened to settlers. So, farmers were allowed to borrow more money, and in
turn they bought more land. Rice and indigo became profitable crops. Schools were
started, and people began reading more. The colony’s first newspaper, The Georgia
Gazette, was started