ESSAY 2 [Draft 2]

-----In 1730 I was sitting and thinking about my family’s future, barely having the money to buy bread for my children to eat. Living in England was hard for us, but I didn’t want my children growing up and knowing the truth that we were poor and couldn’t afford anything. As the days passed, I searched for opportunities to earn more money. One Monday evening, I was walking down the street and overheard a man named Oglethorpe speaking to a group of people about how he is going to help the poor and debt-ridden people of London. Oglethorpe was a man who served in the army and after he left, he devoted his time in helping people. I came up to him pleading if he could help me, and he suggested that I move to the New World and settle in Georgia. I support the protection from the British because they have offered me a wonderful opportunity.

-----I left my home land with my family and took off for Georgia in 1735. It was an experience that changed my life forever. Georgia was wonderful, it offered “families of all social classes the opportunity to obtain free land and enjoy the status it brought.” (Hall xiv) For the first twelve months we worked on clearing the land and for the next two years we were given the chance to settle and inhabit the free land that was given to us. The Trustees provided all men with many useful items such as a watch coat, hatchet, hammer, iron pot, and many other items. Also, for the maintenance in the colony for one year, I was given food in proportions that the Trustees thought were proper. I received all this and not paying one bit of money to the Trustees. I admire England and the wonderful opportunity it provided me and my family. Honestly, I doubted of whether going to the New World or not because I hated the fact of leaving my beloved country and moving to a New World that may not provide me with anything, but I learned that my mother land; England has not forsaken me. Though I left England behind and settled in Georgia, my family and I were greatly protected.

-----Unlike the other colonies in America, “Oglethorpe chose to spend £90,000 of his personal fortune to protect the southern frontier rather than risk its loss.” (Hall 2) Georgia heavily depended for its protection and economic welfare on Britain, so most of the population here are Loyalists. “Additionally Oglethorpe constructed a series of forts and fortified settlements, brought in a regiment of British regulars, and led several attacks against the Spanish at St. Augustine as well as defended Georgia against Spanish attack.” (Hall 2) I felt safe living in Georgia because I trusted the British being in power. I don’t want to break away from the British government because they have provided a once in a life time opportunity for my family and I. When I heard about the protests over the Stamp Act, I was disappointed in the patriots. Don’t they see that “…by uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;” (Blassingame 63). It made no sense for the colonies to have their own governing systems. Don’t they see what great opportunity Great Britain is providing us?

-----Though we were given free land, we did have to abide by the rules the Trustees have made. Georgia was structured well and kept order. By being kept in order, this prevented any chaos from occurring. “Lots are to be preserved separate and undivided, and cannot be united, in order to keep up a Number of Men equal to the Number of Lots, for the better Defence and Support of the Colony.” (“The Georgia Trustees: Rules for 1735”) People were not allowed to lease out their house or lot to others without a license for that purpose. Having limits was better than having no limits where many things can go wrong.

-----Looking at the life we lived in the 1730s was a gift from God. I was given the opportunity to take my family and move to Georgia. There I was protected and was worry free.






Works Cited:
Blassingame, John W. "American Nationalism and Other Loyalties in the Southern Colonies 1763-1775." Vol. 34 Feb. 1968 50-75. 16 Nov 2008 .

Hall, Leslie. Land & Allegiance in Revolutionary Georgia. University of Georgia Press, 2001.

"The Georgia Trustees: Rules for 1735." Colonial Settlement, 1600s-1763. 07/24/2003. The Library of Congress. 17 Nov 2008 .