Being a Patriot in Georgia during the 1760’s

Jessica Ackerman
11/21/08
Final Draft

>>>The southern colonies, such as Georgia and South Carolina, were mostly populated with loyalists; a very small percentile was patriots. I am a patriot in the state of Georgia and I do not believe the ways of the loyalists, I don’t understand why they want to be ruled by Britain instead of having the freedom and liberties in America. The British filled the land with poor, who they brought from England, making it harder for us to establish on lands.

>>> In the 1730’s, James Olgethorpe sent those who were poor, in England, to the Americas to inhabit land and make it prosper. Those who settled in Georgia were sent to inhabit land for a certain amount of time, “…that they from and after the Expiration of the said last mentioned Twelve Months, will, during the Two next succeeding Years, abide, settle and inhabit in the said Province of Georgia, and Cultivate the Lands which shall be to them and their Heirs Male severally allotted and given, by all such Ways and Means as according to their several Abilities and Skills they shall be best Able and Capable”(colonial settlements), was said by the British government as they inhabitants expectations. I don’t see why those people would want to live under British rule, and not be able to establish themselves on their own land and live with freedom. Then they put requirements on the land because of all the poor that were being sent, so they would all have enough land to prosper, little did Britain know, this would be a bad decision.

>>>I was given size amounts of land that I had to make prosper. We had to keep this land well taken care of, even though the British gave us unsuitable land. Some said it was “[i]n their passion for system and regularity, the Trustees had assigned lands without regard to fertility or worth and had thus left [us] both with inferior plots and at a serious disadvantage” (Jackson 282). Decisions like this made it hard for Georgia in the beginning; it made it difficult for us to prosper the land, without hardy soil.

>>> Living in the state of Georgia, being a patriot, is a hard thing to be. Almost the entire state is of loyalist people whom support the decisions of Great Britain. With these large numbers of loyalists, it gave British ground to take southern colonies. The states of “Georgia and the Carolinas appeared to hold large numbers of loyalists, providing a base for the British to recapture the southern colonies one by one…” (Roark et al 241) The British were trying to take the colonies so that the patriots couldn’t take it because Britain wanted all the states in America to be a reflection of how they wanted the states to be.

>>> Georgia was considered the state that other states looked upon, like a “city upon a hill.” Britain wanted “Georgia…to be not just a model colony but a model society for Britain” (Jackson 284). Georgia was Britain’s “example” of the way the Britain’s wanted to run the states, since Georgia was ultimately loyalist. In Georgia, following under British Government was the “rule” and if you didn’t you would be punished. My view is that Britain gave us our rights but only could the rights be decided for us by the British, which means that we basically had no rights at all. People must follow these rules because“…when any person insisted upon his just rights and privileges… [they were] punished without mercy” (Jackson 288). We patriots believe that “a colony of vassals, whose properties and liberties were, at all times, to have been disposed of at the discretion or option of their superiors” (Jackson 289). The British were happy if we “were “deprived of the liberties and properties of their birthright”” (Jackson 289).The so called “freedom” that was given by the British to us, was ultimately Britain ’s decision, it wasn’t our free rights. We should be able to make our own rights and have our own freedom, not have it chosen for us. Having the choice to have freedom and to defend our country is the reason I want to be a patriot. Why is it that loyalists would choose to have their freedom chosen for them?





Works Cited



-The Library of Congress, American Memory. "Establishing the Georgia Colony." Colonial Settlements. July 24 2003.17 Nov2008 .

-The Library of Congress, American Memory. "The Georgia Trustees: Rules for 1735." Colonial Settlements. July 24 2003. 17 Nov 2008 .

-Jackson, Harvey H. , and Phinizy Spalding. Fory Years of Diversity. University of Georgia Press, 1984.

-Raork, James L.. The American Promise. Fourth. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins.