Georgia Colony Facts

Georgia Colony Facts
The Georgia Colony was one of the 13 original colonies in America. The 13 original colonies were divided up into three regions including the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. The Georgia Colony was one of the Southern Colonies which also included the Maryland Colony, the Virginia Colony, the North Carolina Colony and the South Carolina Colony. The Georgia Colony was the last of the 13 original colonies to be established. It was founded in 1732 by several colonists including James Oglethorpe. The Georgia Colony was named after King George II of England, as specified by the king himself in the charter granting the colony.
Interesting Georgia Colony Facts:
The British government granted the charter to establish the Georgia Colony in an effort to help protect the South Carolina Colony from invasion by the French in Louisiana and the Spanish in Florida.
The Georgia Colony was established 50 years after the other 12 colonies.
The Georgia Colony's original name was the Province of Georgia.
James Oglethorpe's desire to establish the Georgia Colony was based on a need for a refuge for Protestants being persecuted elsewhere and as a place for the less wealthy Europeans and debtors wishing to establish themselves in the colonies.
The only religion not welcome in the Georgia Colony was the Roman Catholic religion.
James Oglethorpe served as the Georgia Colony's governor for 12 years. During which time slavery and alcohol were banned. When he returned to England the alcohol ban was lifted immediately and in 1749 slavery was allowed.
James Oglethorpe did not believe in slavery and large landholdings. When he returned to England his vision for the Georgia Colony was quickly dissolved and slavery became widespread as plantations grew in size.
The Georgia Colony's major city was Savannah.
Because of the warm climate in the Georgia Colony, and the good agricultural land, it was possible to grow crops all year and plantations thrived.
The warm climate in the Georgia Colony made it much easier for diseases to spread, unlike in the New England Colonies where colder winters made it more difficult to farm year round but made it more difficult for diseases to thrive.
Natural resources in the Georgia Colony included timber, agricultural land, and fish.
Residents of the Georgia Colony grew a variety of crops, including vegetables, grain, fruit, corn, cotton, tobacco, and livestock.
Plantation owners in the Georgia Colony often traded their crops for items they could not produce. These items included dishes, farming tools, shoes, and thread.
The Georgia Colony, along with the other Southern Colonies, had the largest slave populations of all 13 colonies.
The Georgia Colony became a state on January 2nd, 1788.
Nicknames given to Georgia over the years include the Peach State, and the Empire State of the South.
Georgia's capital has moved four times since it was established. At various times the capital has been Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville, and Atlanta.
Some of the original territory of the Georgia Colony was later ceded to Congress. This land became the Mississippi Territory and later became parts of Alabama and Mississippi.


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