Georgia: The Debtors Colony

The English colony of Georgia was the product of specific goals. First, England hoped to provide its most impoverished citizens opportunities for land and a new life. Second, the frontier needed a military buffer between Charles Town, the southernmost settlement, and the Spanish in Florida. Third, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if the Georgia settlers produced raw materials and goods to export to England. It was one of the most auspicious and ambitious colonial plans. Unfortunately, the well-meaning and charitable Trustees didn’t really know what they were doing. They chose crops that wouldn’t grow in the Georgia climate and soil. They prohibited slaves, and while that decision was progressive for those times, it put the settlers at an economic disadvantage. They simply couldn’t compete with the other colonies for new settlers and continued financing. Georgia wasn’t a failure, but its settlers worked harder than any others to survive.