Essay #2 [DRAFT]

-----It was a cold and dark night in 1730 when I was sitting and thinking about my family’s future. I barely had 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 where I can earn more money. As I was walking down the street that Monday morning, I 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. I came up to him and told him about my situation and how my family was struggling. He suggested that I move to America and settle in Georgia.

-----I put everything aside in England and took my family on an adventure we would never forget in 1735. Georgia was great, 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 and will remain loyal to England.

-----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.

-----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 we heard about the protests over the Stamp Act, we got together and sang a song:

“Come and join hand in hand, brave Americans all,
And rouse your blood hearts at fair Liberty’s call;
Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all
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?


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 .