Early Georgia Update
Keeping Students Informed...
Check out these interesting resources...
There have been indigenous people (Native Americans) living in what is now the state of Georgia for about 13,000 years. Europeans arrived in present-day Georgia about 350 years ago. In this newsletter you will find a variety of resources that range from the indigenous population to the end of the American Revolution in 1776!
James Oglethorpe
General James Oglethorpe was an English philanthropist who had a friend who died in debtors' prison. This event made him want to help people imprisoned because they owed money because they were unemployed and couldn't earn a living to pay their bills. Oglethorpe was also a member of Parliament and he went to the king to ask for a charter for a new colony. That colony would become Georgia.
King George II
King George II gave Oglethorpe a charter for the colony because it would help reduce the unemployment in England AND Georgia would serve as a BUFFER between the Spaniards in Florida and South Carolina--a very wealthy colony to the north.
Tomochichi
Tomochichi was a Native American who helped General Oglethorpe and the colonists when they landed in present-day Savannah. He was a Yamasee Indian who had been exiled along with several hundred other Yamasees. They formed a new tribe, the Yamacraws, and they lived on the banks of the Savannah River. He wanted to live peacefully with the English, so he helped Oglethorpe build Savannah and establish their colony.
Check out the websites below!
The links below are New Georgia Encyclopedia articles that will give you a LOT of cool information about the early days of our state. Make sure you read carefully!
Mary Musgrove: Georgia's Own Pocahontas
Get to Know James Edward Oglethorpe, Part 3 (1733-1743)
Get to Know James Edward Oglethorpe, Part 4 (1744-1785)
Digital Storytelling: Founding of Georgia
The Salzburgers!
The Salzburgers were one of the early immigrant groups (besides the British themselves) to settle in the Georgia Colony. Check out the links and information below for more information.
The Georgia Salzburgers and Freedom of Religion
The Salzburgers of Ebenezer | Georgia Stories
The Scottish Highlanders in the Georgia Colony!
Check out the videos and websites below about the Scottish Highlanders in Colonial Georgia.
The Highland Scots of Georgia | Georgia Stories
Trustee Period, Salzburgers, Highland Scots
Fort King George | Georgia's First outpost | Scottish Highlanders | Project Past | Historic Fort