Question

what were the three reasons Oglethorpe gave Georgia II to allow him (Oglethorpe) to start a colony? Explain in detail what each reason meant.

Answer 1

The three reasons for settlement were Charity, Economics, and Defense. 1) Charity: King George II had his prisons filled with people who didn't deserve to be there, and he needed a place to put them, because the place was overflowing. This made it easier for James Oglethorpe to convince King George II to let him use the new colony as a place for debtors. 2) Economics: If people went to the colony, not only would they be paying of their debts, but also, it goes into Mercantilism, where Great Britain could use Georgia and export all of the raw materials and use them for the wealth of Great Britain, because the small country simply did not have enough natural recourses to sustain everyone. 3) Defense: The English were worried about the Spanish who controlled Florida. They wanted to create Georgia as a buffer colony, to protect South Carolina, because it had a lot of recourses. With Georgia acting as a buffer colony, if the Spanish decided to attack, they would have to cross Georgia territory. The defenders would keep the Spanish at bay for as long as they could, and hope that British reinforcements would soon arrive to aid the defenders.