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.