Trustee Period in Colonial Georgia

Introduction

Trustee Period in Colonial Georgia icon As Georgia became established as a colony, the trustees were allowed to give land to others, but not own any property themselves. They were granted 21 years of freedom to establish the land of Georgia. After 21 years the responsibility of the colony would be handed over to the ruler of England. James Oglethorpe began his interview process for successful colonists and began the adventure of settling the colony.

Town Planning in Savannah

"This image (below) of the year-old settlement in 1734 shows a grid of streets and squares carefully planned out by Oglethorpe. In the foreground, sailing ships and small boats visit the new port, and cargo is hauled up a steep embankment above the river. The engraving identifies important sites in the settlement: Mr. Ogelthorpe’s tent; the courthouse, mill, public oven, and well; the “House for Stangers”; the future location of the church; the fort and guard house among them. The original sketch is attributed to Peter Gordon, who was among the first settlers of the colony and served as its chief bailiff."
(Description via the Gilder-Lehman Institute. Image is in the Public Domain)

Drawing of the site plan for Savannah. Description of the image is listed above it.

Trustee Period in Georgia

Please review the presentation below.

Once you finish watching our PowerPoint summary, please read the extension article on the Georgia Malcontents and conflicts they brought to the colony. Click here to access the article.

Review

Test Yourself Icon Review what you've learned by completing the activity below.

Read through the following questions. Consider your answers. Once you've figured out the correct responses, move on to the next section.

What type of job skills did Oglethorpe recruit on the initial voyage to Georgia?
Why are the Austrian Lutherans significant to Georgia’s settlement?
Why were the Highland Scots encouraged to migrate to Georgia?
What issues did the Malcontents complain about to the Georgia Trustee’s?.

Think About This

As you see with the influx of immigration taking place, Georgia was becoming a very successful colony. We will look further into the tensions that began to rise between the English colony of Georgia and the Spanish colony of Florida in the next lesson.

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