Daily Life in Colonial Georgia
The first English colonists faced a wilderness plagued by insects, heat, and disease. Of the original 144 colonists, nearly one in three died. Wormsloe Plantation near Savannah presents a recreation of the colonists’ way of life with demonstrations of the skills needed to face the challenges of settling the new colony.
Daily Life in Colonial Georgia
The first English colonists faced a wilderness plagued by insects, heat, and disease. Of the original 144 colonists, nearly one in three died. Wormsloe Plantation near Savannah presents a recreation of the colonists’ way of life with demonstrations of the skills needed to face the challenges of settling the new colony.
Social Studies
Explain the importance of the Charter of 1732, including the reasons for settlement (philanthropy, economics, and defense).
Give examples of the kinds of goods and services produced and traded in colonial Georgia.
1. Suppose you are new to this country, are alone, and have no money, very few skills of any kind, but you have a burning desire to make a new life for yourself. How would you go about finding a place to live, a way to make a living, clothes, food, etc.?
2. Imagine what it would have been like for the early settlers of Georgia as they set foot for the first time in this new world. List all the things they would have to bring with them and what they would have to know (or learn) how to do in order to live in the wilderness and off the land.
1. Pretend you are a colonist leaving England for Georgia in 1732. You are allowed to bring ten small items with you. List those items and defend your selections.
2. Many colonists and Native Americans died of diseases. Research to find which diseases were prevalent during colonial times. Include possible causes and available treatment.
Ann(e): the ship that sailed from England to Charleston to bring the first colonists to Georgia
bailiff: a law enforcement officer who serves warrants and makes arrests
buffer: something that serves as a protective barrier between two objects
charter: a legal document that grants special rights and privileges
clamorous malcontents: a group of colonists who were in active opposition to rules and regulations in Georgia
debtor: a person who owes money
diplomacy: the art of resolving conflict and reducing hostility
Ebenezer: city on the coast of Georgia founded by the Salzburgers
emigrant: one who leaves a place of residence
Frederica: English fort on St. Simons Island
George Whitfield: Evangelist who established Bethesda Orphans Home in Ebenezer
humanitarian: a person who is active in the issues of social reform and the welfare of others
immigrant: a person who comes to a country to become a new resident
indentured servant: a person who signs a contract to work for another for a specified time period in exchange for food, shelter, clothes and travel expenses
Mary Bosomworth Musgrove: a woman of mixed English and Indian heritage who worked as an interpreter for Oglethorpe
mercantilism: an economic system used by England to secure additional profit from the colonies through trade
militia: a citizen army that defends a town or areabnm
mulberry trees: a tree with dark purple fruit; its leaves are eaten by silkworms
Papists: followers of the Roman Catholic religion
Parliament: British law-making body of government
regulation: a rule or order issued by an administrator
Salzburgers: a group of German Protestants who came to Georgia with Oglethorpe and settled in Frederica and Ebenezer
Tomochichi: Yamacraw Indian chief who was a friend to James Oglethorpe; Tomochichi sold Oglethorpe the land for the settlement of Savannah
trustees: a group responsible for the management and maintenance of a colony
utopia: a perfect place to live
Yamacraw Bluff: landing site near Savannah for the first colonists to arrive in Georgia
1. Suppose you are new to this country, are alone and have no money, very few skills of any kind, but you have a burning desire to make a new life for yourself. How would you go about finding a place to live, a way to make a living, clothes, food, etc.?
Student answers will vary.
2. Imagine what it would have been like for the early settlers of Georgia as they set foot for the first time in this new world. List all the things they would have to bring with them and what they would have to know (or learn) how to do in order to live in the wilderness and off the land.
Student answers will vary, but they will likely include some of the following information. Early settlers would likely bring tools and supplies that would help them harvest crops, hunt, chop wood, build shelter, and cook. Settlers from England would have to adjust to Georgia's warm, humid climate and learn which crops would thrive in its soil and weather.
