The folks in our new home celebrate Feb. 12 as Georgia Day.
On Feb. 12, 1733, James Oglethorpe, a general and social reformer, founded the last of the original 13 English colonies. He came with 114 people, some of whom were freshly sprung from prisons in London for indebtedness.
Oglethorpe argued for the colony by playing on English insecurities about South Carolina, which had become wealthy. The English were sure the Spanish in Florida and the French to the west were bent on plunder.
The source of South Carolina’s wealth was its plantation system based on slavery. It was a brutal, exploitive system that led to vast differences between the rich and the poor. Oglethorpe and like-minded trustees had something else in mind for the new colony. Slavery would be prohibited. Landholdings would be limited to 500 acres. Georgia would be a place where poor people in London who were being locked up for debts could get a fresh start on family farms.
It was idealistic, and it didn’t last long.
Georgia has some interesting history. For example, it’s hard to imagine the Civil Rights Movement in United States without Georgians. If you’re interested, Georgia Day is a good day to get started.
• Sources: The Library of Congress has an article on “Establishing the Georgia Colony, 1732-1750” here:
The New Georgia Encyclopedia has an overview of the state’s history here:
https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/georgia-history-overview/
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