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49-744: The Province of Georgia (also Georgia Colony ) was one of the Southern Colonies in colonial-era British America . In 1775 it was the last of the Thirteen Colonies to support the American Revolution . The original land grant of the Province of Georgia included a narrow strip of land that extended west to the Pacific Ocean . The colony's Corporate charter was granted to General James Oglethorpe on April 21, 1732, by George II , for whom

98-730: A Crown colony in 1684, when the government revoked a royal charter given to the Somers Isles Company , successor to the Virginia Company , which had previously controlled administration, including the appointment of governors. Afterwards the British government appointed the Governor of Bermuda .) Despite its later usage, the term "Crown colony" was used primarily, until the mid-19th century, to refer to colonies that had been acquired through wars, such as Trinidad and Tobago . After that time it

147-401: A governor appointed by the king. The warm climate and swampy lands make it perfect for growing crops such as tobacco, rice, sugarcane, and indigo. George Calvert received a charter from King Charles I to found the colony of Maryland in 1632. When George Calvert died, Cecilius Calvert, later known as Lord Baltimore, became the proprietor. Calvert came from a wealthy Catholic family and was

196-516: A large manor and tenants would work in the fields and on other tasks. However, with extremely cheap land prices, many Protestants moved to Maryland and bought land for themselves. They soon became a majority of the population, and in 1642 religious tension began to erupt. Calvert was forced to take control and pass the Maryland Toleration Act in 1649, making Maryland the second colony to have freedom of worship, after Rhode Island . However,

245-513: A new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors , on March 24, 1663. Led by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury , the Province of Carolina was controlled from 1663 to 1729 by these lords and their heirs. Shaftesbury and his secretary, the philosopher John Locke , devised an intricate plan to govern the many people arriving in the colony. The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina sought to ensure

294-557: A series of civil unrest, Bacon's Rebellion shaped the way that servitude and slavery worked in the South. After a series of attacks on the Susquehannock , attacks that were ensued after the group of natives burnt one of Bacon's farms, Bacon's arrest, along with other arrest warrants, were issued by Governor Berkely , for attacking the natives without his permission. Bacon avoided detainment, though, and then burnt Jamestown , in opposition of

343-444: A system of smallholdings more appropriate than the large plantations common in the colonies just to the north. However, land grants were not as large as most colonists would have preferred. Another reason for the founding of the colony was as a buffer state and a " garrison province" which would defend the southern British colonies from Spanish Florida . Oglethorpe imagined a province populated by "sturdy farmers" who could guard

392-409: Is an historical accounting of these first English settlers sent to Georgia: A committee was appointed to visit the jails and obtain the discharge of such poor prisoners as were worthy, carefully investigating character, circumstances and antecedents . Thirty-five families, numbering one hundred and twenty persons, were selected. On the 16th of November, 1732, the emigrants embarked at Gravesend on

441-650: The British Nationality Act 1981 . Many British citizens in the colonies (with the exceptions of the Falkland Islanders and subsequently the Gibraltarians ) found that their "Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies" had changed overnight to British Dependent Territories Citizenship , a form of British citizenship that stripped them of some of their rights, including the right to reside and work in

490-651: The Colony of Virginia in 1619 and the House of Assembly of the Parliament of Bermuda in 1620. While initially limited in government even with an elected lower house, over the centuries in some Crown colonies, more independent authority was given. All remaining British colonies, whether Crown (such as the Falkland Islands ) or self-governing (such as Bermuda ), were renamed " British Dependent Territories " from 1 January 1983 under

539-509: The House of Commons of the British Parliament has never included seats for any of the colonies, there was no direct representation in the sovereign government for British subjects or citizens residing in Crown colonies. The administration of Crown colonies changed over time and in the 1800s some became, with a loosening of the power of royal governors, self-governing colonies , within which

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588-559: The Ocmulgee River ), and then extending westward "to the south seas." The area within the charter had previously been part of the original grant of the Province of Carolina , which was closely linked to Georgia. The Privy Council approved the establishment charter on June 9, 1732, and for the next two decades the council of trustees governed the province, with the aid of annual subsidies from Parliament. However, after many difficulties and

637-780: The People's Republic of China . In 2002, the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 further changed their name to British Overseas Territories . There were three types of Crown colony as of 1918, with differing degrees of autonomy: Crown colonies with representative councils , such as Bermuda , Jamaica , Ceylon and Fiji , contained two legislative chambers, consisting of Crown-appointed and locally elected members. Crown colonies with nominated councils , such as British Honduras , Sierra Leone , British Windward Islands and Hong Kong , were staffed entirely by Crown-appointed members, with some appointed representation from

686-542: The St. Marys River . Two years later, on March 25, 1765, Governor James Wright approved an act of the General Assembly creating four new parishes – St. David, St. Patrick, St. Thomas, and St. Mary – in the recently acquired land, and it further assigned Jekyll Island to St. James Parish. The Georgia colony had had a sluggish beginning. James Oglethorpe did not allow liquor, and colonists who came at

735-436: The Virginia Company and assumed control of the administration. Executive crown governors are sometimes complemented by a locally appointed and/or elected legislature with limited powers – that is, such territories lack responsible government . For example, while the House of Assembly of Bermuda has existed continuously since its first session in 1620, Bermuda has only had responsible government since 1968. (Bermuda became

784-621: The sovereign state (the UK Government) delegated legislation for most local internal matters of governance to elected assemblies, with consent of the governor, overseen by the Colonial Office and the Board of Trade and Plantations . The Colonial Office gave way to the Dominion Office for some of these territories in 1925. Elected lower houses had their beginnings in the House of Burgesses of

833-623: The Act did little to help religious peace. In 1654, Protestants barred Catholics from voting, ousted a pro-tolerance Governor , and repealed the Toleration Act. Maryland stayed Protestant until Calvert again took control of the colony in 1658. The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony or the Province of Virginia , and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia )

882-408: The British repelled an attack of militia, Continental Army , and French military and naval forces on Savannah . The 1781 siege of Augusta , by militia and Continental forces, restored it to Patriot control. When the war was lost for Britain, Wright and British forces evacuated Savannah on July 11, 1782. After that the Province of Georgia ceased to exist as a British colony. The new state of Georgia

931-546: The Colonies . The term Crown colony continued to be used until 1981, when the British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified the remaining British colonies as "British Dependent Territories". By this time, the term "Crown colony" referred specifically to colonies lacking substantial autonomy, which were administered by an executive governor, appointed by the British Government – such as Hong Kong , before its transfer in 1997 to

980-691: The Colony of Virginia. Crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England , and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire . There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government , with or without the assistance of a local council. In some cases, this council

1029-573: The District of Ogeechee, including the island of Ossabaw , was named the Parish of St. Philip. From Sunbury in the District of Midway and Newport to the south branch of Newport, including the islands of St. Catherine and Bermuda, was named the Parish of St. John. The Town and District of Darien , to the Altamaha River , including the islands of Sapelo and Eastwood and the sea islands north of Egg Island,

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1078-527: The Province of Georgia was divided into eight parishes by the Act of the Assembly of Georgia on March 15. The Town and District of Savannah was named Christ Church Parish . The District of Abercorn and Goshen, plus the District of Ebenezer, was named the Parish of St. Matthew. The District of Halifax was named the Parish of St. George. The District of Augusta was named the Parish of St. Paul . The Town of Hardwick and

1127-477: The United Kingdom. From 2002, the dependent territories have been known officially as British Overseas Territories . Early English colonies were often proprietary colonies , usually established and administered by companies under charters granted by the monarch. The first "royal colony" was the Colony of Virginia , after 1624, when the Crown of the Kingdom of England revoked the royal charter it had granted to

1176-652: The Virginia Colony was nicknamed "The Old Dominion" by King Charles II for its perceived loyalty to the English monarchy during the era of the Commonwealth of England . While other colonies were being founded, Virginia continued to grow. Tobacco planters held the best land near the coast, so new settlers pushed inland. Sir William Berkeley, the colony's governor, sent explorers over the Blue Ridge Mountains to open up

1225-473: The back country of Virginia to settlement. After independence from Great Britain in 1776 the Virginia Colony became the Commonwealth of Virginia , one of the original thirteen states of the United States, adopting as its official slogan "The Old Dominion". The states of West Virginia , Kentucky , Indiana , Illinois , and portions of Ohio , were all later created from the territory encompassed earlier by

1274-402: The border; because of this, the colony's charter prohibited slavery . The ban on slavery was lifted by 1751 and the colony became a royal colony by 1752. Although many believe that the colony was formed for the imprisoned, the colony was actually formed as a place of no slavery. Oglethorpe did have the vision to make it a place for debtors, but it transformed into a royal colony. The following

1323-568: The city of Savannah , and established a camp with the help of a local elderly Creek chief, Tomochichi . A Yamacraw Indian village had occupied the site, but Oglethorpe arranged for the Indians to move. The day is still celebrated as Georgia Day . The original charter specified the colony as being between the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers , up to their headwaters (the headwaters of the Altamaha are on

1372-681: The colony developed much faster. Slavery had been permitted from 1749. There was some internal opposition to slavery, particularly from Scottish settlers, but by the time of the War of Independence , Georgia was much like the other Southern colonies. During the American Revolution Georgia's population was at first divided about exactly how to respond to revolutionary activities and heightened tensions in other provinces. After violence broke out in Massachusetts in 1775, radical Patriots stormed

1421-446: The colony was named. The charter was finalized by the King's privy council on June 9, 1732. Oglethorpe envisioned a colony which would serve as a haven for English subjects who had been imprisoned for debt and "the worthy poor." General Oglethorpe imposed very strict laws that many colonists disagreed with, such as the banning of alcoholic beverages. He disagreed with slavery and thought

1470-464: The colony's stability by allotting political status by a settler's wealth upon arrival - making a semi-manorial system with a Council of Nobles and a plan to have small landholders defer to these nobles. However, the settlers did not find it necessary to take orders from the Council. By 1680, the colony had a large export industry of tobacco, lumber , and pitch . In 1691, dissent over the governance of

1519-770: The colony. This rebellion influenced the view of the Africans, helping create a completely African servitude and workforce in the Chesapeake Colonies, alleviating primarily White servitude, a working-class that could be repugnant at times through disobedience and mischief. This also helped racial superiority in White regions, helping the poor White and wealthy White people, respectively, feel almost equal. It diminished alliances between White and Black people, as had happened in Bacon's Rebellion . The colonies developed prosperous economies based on

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1568-417: The cultivation of cash crops , such as tobacco , indigo , and rice . An effect of the cultivation of these crops was the presence of slavery in significantly higher proportions than in other parts of British America. The Province of Carolina , originally chartered in 1608, was an English and later British colony of North America . Because the original charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid,

1617-430: The departure of Oglethorpe, the trustees proved unable to manage the proprietary colony , and on June 23, 1752, they submitted a deed of reconveyance to the crown , one year before the expiration of the charter. On January 2, 1755, Georgia officially ceased to be a proprietary colony and became a royal colony . From 1732 until 1758, the minor civil divisions were districts and towns. In 1758, without Indian permission,

1666-491: The first individual (rather than a joint-stock company) to receive a grant from the Crown. He received a grant for a large tract of land north of the Potomac river and on either side of Chesapeake Bay . Calvert planned on creating a haven for English Roman Catholics, many of whom were well-to-do nobles such as himself who could not worship in public. He planned on creating an agrarian manorial society where each noble would have

1715-401: The governor previously denying him land in fear of native attacks, however Bacon hadn't believe his policies were entirely conventional, saying that they didn't ensure protection to the English settlers , as well as the exclusion of Bacon from Berkeley's social clubs and friend groups. The rebellion dissolved sometime in 1676, following Charles II's initial sending of troops to restore order in

1764-510: The local population. Hong Kong had a representative council following the introduction of election for the Hong Kong Legislative Council in 1995. Crown colonies ruled directly by a governor , such as Basutoland , Gibraltar , Saint Helena and Singapore , were fewest in number and had the least autonomy. The "from" column lists the year the colony began to be administered by the Crown. These colonies may have existed under

1813-548: The province led to the appointment of a deputy governor to administer the northern half of Carolina. After nearly a decade in which the British government sought to locate and buy out the proprietors, both Carolinas became royal colonies . The British colony of Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe on February 12, 1733. The colony was administered by the Georgia Trustees under a charter issued by and named for King George II . The Trustees implemented an elaborate plan for

1862-407: The royal magazine at Savannah and carried off its ammunition, took control of the provincial government, and drove many Loyalists out of the province. In 1776 a provincial congress had declared independence and created a constitution for the new state . Georgia also served as the staging ground for several important raids into British-controlled Florida. In 1777 the original eight counties of

1911-611: The settlement of the colony, known as the Oglethorpe Plan , which envisioned an agrarian society of Yeoman farmers and prohibited slavery. In 1742 the colony was invaded by the Spanish during the War of Jenkins' Ear . In 1752, after the government failed to renew subsidies that had helped support the colony, the Trustees turned over control to the Crown , and Georgia became a Crown colony , with

1960-405: The ship Anne ... arriving January 13th [1733] in the harbor of Charleston, S. C. ... They set sail the day following ... into Port Royal, some eighty miles southward, to be conveyed in small vessels to the river Savannah. Oglethorpe continued up the river to scout a location suitable for settlement. On February 12, 1733, Oglethorpe led the settlers to their arrival at Yamacraw Bluff , in what is now

2009-527: The state of Georgia were created. Prior to that Georgia had been divided into local government units called parishes. Settlement had been limited to the near vicinity of the Savannah River ; the western area of the new state remained under the control of the Creek Indian Confederation . James Wright , the last Royal Governor of the Province of Georgia, dismissed the royal assembly in 1775. He

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2058-438: The trustees' expense were not allowed to own more than 50 acres (0.20 km) of land for their farm in addition to a 60 foot by 90 foot plot in town. Those who paid their own way could bring ten indentured servants and would receive 500 acres of land. Additional land could neither be acquired nor sold. Discontent grew in the colony because of these restrictions, and Oglethorpe lifted them. With slavery, liquor, and land acquisition

2107-628: Was a member of the Second Continental Congress , a signer of the Declaration of Independence , the tenth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation on July 24, 1778, and the fourth state to be admitted to the Union under the U.S. Constitution , on January 2, 1788. On April 24, 1802, Georgia ceded to the U.S. Congress parts of its western lands, that it had claims for going back to when it

2156-530: Was a province (colony). These lands were incorporated into the Mississippi Territory and later (with other adjoining lands) became the states of Alabama and Mississippi . 31°45′40″N 82°21′25″W  /  31.761°N 82.357°W  / 31.761; -82.357 Southern Colonies The Southern Colonies were overwhelmingly rural, with large agricultural operations, which made use of slavery and indentured servitude extensive. During

2205-568: Was an English colony in North America which existed briefly during the 16th century, and then continuously from 1607 until the American Revolution (as a British colony after 1707 ). The name Virginia was first applied by Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth I in 1584. Jamestown was the first town created by the Virginia colony. After the English Civil War in the mid 17th century,

2254-622: Was briefly a prisoner of the revolutionaries before escaping to a British warship in February 1776. During the American Revolutionary War Wright was the only royal governor to regain control of part of his colony after British forces captured Savannah on December 29, 1778. British and Loyalist forces restored large areas of Georgia to colonial rule, especially along the coast, while Patriots continued to maintain an independent governor, congress, and militia in other areas. In 1779

2303-472: Was more broadly applied to every British territory other than British India , and self-governing colonies, such as the Province of Canada , Newfoundland , British Columbia , New South Wales , Queensland , South Australia , Tasmania , Victoria , Western Australia , and New Zealand . By the mid-19th century, the monarch was appointing colonial governors only on the advice of the Secretary of State for

2352-558: Was named the Parish of St. Andrew. The Town and District of Frederica, including the islands of Great and Little St. Simons , along with the adjacent islands, was named the Parish of St. James. Following Britain's victory in the French and Indian War , King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763 . One of its provisions was to extend Georgia's southern boundary from the Altamaha River to

2401-492: Was split into two: an executive council and a legislative council , and the executive council was similar to the Privy Council that advises the monarch. Members of executive councils were appointed by the governors, and British citizens resident in Crown colonies either had no representation in local government, or limited representation in a lower house . In several Crown colonies, this limited representation grew over time. As

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