Year Founded:
1732
Founded By:
James Oglethorpe
Motivation for Founding:
In 1732, James Oglethorpe was given a charter from King George II to create a new colony which he would name Georgia. This was located between South Carolina and Florida. It had two main purposes: to serve as a place where debtors in prison could go to start anew and it served as a barrier against Spanish expansion from Florida.
Significant Events:
- In 1733, a group of settlers joined Oglethorpe to found Savannah, Georgia.
- Georgia began with the intention to have little landholding and no slavery. However, when it became a royal colony in 1752, plantations and slavey became a major part of the Georgian economy.
- Georgia was in the first group of states to ratify the new Constitution after the Revolutionary War ended.
Important People:
- George II
- James Oglethorpe
