Trustee Georgia facts for kids
Trustee Georgia is the name for the first twenty years of Georgia's history, from 1732 to 1752. During this time, the English Province of Georgia was managed by a special group called a board of trustees.
England's King George II, who the colony was named after, signed a special document called a charter on July 7, 1732. This charter officially created the colony and set up its governing board. Tomochichi, a Native American leader living near the Savannah River, allowed James Oglethorpe to settle on Yamacraw Bluff.
The charter was given to the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America. James Oglethorpe led this group. Oglethorpe hoped Georgia would be a new home for English people who owed money or were very poor. However, not many debtors actually came to Georgia.
Another main reason for starting the colony was to create a "buffer state" or "garrison province." This meant it would be a protective border for the southern British colonies. It would defend them from Spanish Florida and French Mississippi. Oglethorpe wanted Georgia to be filled with farmers who would protect this border. Because of this, and for moral reasons, the colony's rules did not allow slavery.
Oglethorpe's plan for how the settlement would be built, known as the Oglethorpe Plan, was based on ideas from the 1700s. It also used principles from old Roman town designs.
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Georgia's Founding Document: The Charter
The Georgia Charter had some rules that seemed to go against each other. Colonists were promised all the rights of Englishmen. But there was no plan for them to have their own local government. People were guaranteed religious freedom, but not for Roman Catholics or Jewish people. Even so, a group of Jewish people arrived in Georgia in 1733 without clear permission and were allowed to stay.
The charter created a group called a Trust. It said that an unknown number of Trustees would govern the colony from England. Over the years, 71 different men served as Trustees. The charter said Trustees could not own land or hold office in Georgia. They also were not paid. People believed they served because they wanted to help others. Their motto was Non sibi sed aliis, which means "Not for self, but for others."
The charter also said that the Trustees would choose fifteen members to be an executive committee. This committee was called the Common Council. Eight members were needed for the council to make decisions. Sometimes, fewer than eight members were present. When this happened, those who were there would act as if they were the whole group of Trustees. This was a practical solution, but it wasn't what the charter originally planned.
The first meeting of the Trustees happened on July 20, 1732. It was held at the Georgia office in London. Committees were formed to ask for money and to interview people who wanted to move to the new colony. On November 17, 1732, seven Trustees said goodbye to Oglethorpe and the first settlers. They left from Gravesend aboard the ship Anne.
The Trustees successfully got £10,000 from the government in 1733. They received smaller amounts in later years. Georgia was the only American colony that relied on money from the English Parliament every year.
The original charter described the colony's land. It was between the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers, all the way to where they begin. From there, it stretched west "to the south seas." This area had been part of the original land given to the Province of Carolina. South Carolina had never been able to control this area. After the Yamasee War, the Georgia coast was mostly clear of Native American groups. Only a few villages of defeated Yamasee remained. They became known as the Yamacraw to tell them apart from other Yamasee who were still fighting in Florida and among the Creek.
Key Leaders of the Trust
The Trustees who attended the most meetings were James Vernon, John Perceval, Earl of Egmont, Henry L'Apostre, Samuel Smith, Thomas Tower, John LaRoche, Robert Hucks, Stephen Hales, James Oglethorpe, and Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury.
James Vernon was one of the first people involved in creating the charter. He stayed interested in Georgia throughout the Trust's existence. He helped arrange for the Salzburger people to settle in Georgia. He also talked with a religious group about sending missionaries.
Vernon was different from Egmont and Oglethorpe. He was more willing to listen to the colonists' complaints. When Oglethorpe was busy with a war against Spain, Vernon suggested dividing the colony into two parts: Savannah and Frederica. Each would have a president. The Trustees named William Stephens president in Savannah. He served until 1751. The Trustees did not want to appoint a single governor. This was because the king had to approve governors, and the Trustees wanted to keep control themselves. After Egmont retired in 1742, Vernon became very important. He supervised the removal of rules against owning land, rum, and slavery.
Egmont was the first president of the Common Council. He was the most important Trustee until he retired. He supported Georgia in Parliament. He strongly disagreed with attempts to make peace with Spain if it meant Georgia would lose out. However, he had to be careful because the Trustees needed money from the government.
Other Trustees also helped in important ways. Henry L'Apostre advised on money matters. Samuel Smith advised on religious issues. Thomas Tower gave legal advice. Stephen Hales was close to the royal family and was a respected scientist. This gave the Trustees more importance. Shaftesbury, who was against the government's main party, joined the Common Council in 1733. He helped lead the talks to make Georgia a royal colony. For all twenty years, the Trustees only had two staff members: Benjamin Martyn as secretary and Harman Verelst as accountant.
Native American Leaders Visit London
Oglethorpe went back to England in June 1734. He brought important guests with him: Yamacraw chief Tomochichi, his wife Senauki, their nephew Toonahowi, and six other Lower Creek tribesmen. These Native American visitors were treated like celebrities. The Trustees honored them. They met the king and queen. The archbishop of Canterbury entertained them. They also met the public.
All but two of them posed for a painting with many Trustees. One of the absent Native Americans died from smallpox. He was buried by his friends in Westminster. After their official duties, the visitors became tourists. They visited the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Oglethorpe's home. They also enjoyed different plays.
New Settlers: Salzburgers, Moravians, and Highlanders
The Native American visitors left England on October 31, 1734. With them went 57 Salzburgers. They joined 42 families already living in Georgia at Ebenezer. In 1734 and 1735, two groups of Moravians also went to Georgia. They were pacifists, meaning they did not believe in fighting. Because they refused military duty, they left Georgia by 1740.
After taking the Native Americans and Salzburgers to Georgia, Captain George Dunbar sailed his ship to Scotland. Dunbar and Hugh Mackay recruited 177 Highlanders from Scotland. Most of them were from Clan Chattan. In 1736, these Highlanders founded Darien on Georgia's southern border, the Altamaha River. Dunbar later served as Oglethorpe's helper in Georgia.
Oglethorpe went to Georgia in 1736. His fellow Trustees approved his plan to start two new settlements on the borders. These were Frederica on St. Simons Island and Augusta at the beginning of the Savannah River. Both places had soldiers stationed there. In 1737, Oglethorpe returned to England. He asked for a regiment of regular soldiers from the government. He got his soldiers and was made a colonel. The government also agreed to pay for all military costs.
Trustee Laws and Challenges
In 1735, the Trustees suggested three new laws to the king's special council. They were happy when the king and council approved them. One law required Georgia licenses for trading west of the Savannah River. Another law banned the use of rum in Georgia. A third law outlawed slavery in Georgia.
South Carolina strongly protested the Native American trade law. They also disagreed with the Trustees' order to stop rum from being brought on the Savannah River. A government board sided with South Carolina. A compromise was reached, allowing traders with Carolina licenses to continue their trade west of the Savannah River. The Trustees did not like this change. After this, they stopped suggesting new laws that needed the king's approval.
Colonists complained often. The war with Spain also made things difficult for Georgia. This discouraged many Trustees. It was especially embarrassing when Thomas Stephens, whose father worked for the Trustees in Georgia, presented a list of complaints in Parliament. A committee looked into the complaints and then said the Trustees were innocent. Stephens had to apologize in Parliament. However, the Trustees' reputation was hurt, and their influence in Parliament became weaker.
The government leader, Walpole, lost his position in 1742. The new government refused the Trustees' request for money. Egmont resigned in protest. But not all Trustees gave up. Under the leadership of Vernon and Shaftesbury, the Trustees worked with the new government. The government renewed the yearly payments until 1751. At that point, the Trustees' request for money was denied again.
Oglethorpe returned from Georgia in 1743. He was no longer as excited about the Trust's work. He disagreed when the ban on rum was relaxed in 1742. He also disagreed when slavery was allowed in 1750. He had a disagreement with the Trustees about money he had spent. The accountant said he owed the Trust money for military purposes. Oglethorpe argued that the Trustees owed him much more. They never reached an agreement. Oglethorpe attended his last meeting on March 16, 1749.
The End of Trustee Rule
In March 1750, the Trustees asked Georgians to elect people to their first assembly. However, they told them that this assembly could only advise the Trustees, not make laws. Augusta and Ebenezer each had two representatives. Savannah had four. Every other town and village had one. Frederica, which was almost empty, sent no one.
Sixteen representatives met in Savannah on January 14, 1751. They elected Francis Harris as their speaker. Most of their decisions were about improving trade. The representatives showed maturity by asking for the right to make local laws. They also opposed any attempts by South Carolina to take over Georgia.
The Trustees planned to allow more assemblies. But Parliament's failure to vote for money in 1751 caused the Trustees to start talks. They decided to turn the colony over to the government a year before their charter was supposed to end. Only four members of the Trust attended the last meeting on June 23, 1752. Of the original Trustees, only James Vernon stayed until the very end.
The Earl of Halifax, the new head of the Board of Trade, gained more power. He brought new energy to the board's work. He felt that the colonies had been ignored for too long. He planned to make Georgia a model colony for others to follow. So, Georgia went from being controlled by one group of gentlemen in Parliament to another.
