James Oglethorpe established Georgia as a colony in North America in the 1730s. He was able to establish a colony after receiving a charter given by King George II.
Oglethorpe was a philanthropist who spent the majority of his life working on matters of social reform in Great Britain. One of those reforms was reforming the prison system. He took an interest in the prison reform when his friends thrown in prison due to debt and died because of smallpox. His zeal to improve the possibilities available for the debtor's in Britain led to establishing a new colony to offer a new life to those coping with debt and poverty. Oglethorpe worked to bring changes in conditions of British prisons.
