Georgia History: The Mississippians, De Soto, and Colonial Georgia (Trusteeship to Royal Colony)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from The Mississippians and De Soto through Georgia’s transition from Trustee to Royal Colony, including figures, structures, and social dynamics.

Mississippians

A highly advanced prehistoric Native American culture in the Southeast known for mound-building, organized communities, agriculture, and extensive trade networks.

Hernando de Soto

Spanish explorer whose Southeast expedition encountered and disrupted Native American societies, opening the region to later European contact.

Gold, Glory, & God

Three European motives for exploration: wealth (gold), national prestige (glory), and spreading Christianity (God).

De Soto expedition impact

Lead to heavy Native American disruption and set the stage for subsequent European claims and colonization in the Southeast.

Georgia Trustees

A group of philanthropic leaders who governed Georgia as a trustee colony (1732–1752) and were prohibited from personal profit or land ownership in the colony.

Proprietary colony

A colony governed by private owners or a proprietor, rather than directly by a royal charter or elected assembly.

James Oglethorpe

Founder and driving force behind Georgia’s settlement as a Trustees’ colony; advocated prison reform and organized the Savannah settlement.

Charter of 1732

The document establishing Georgia as a Trustee colony and outlining its purposes, governance, and constraints.

Three charter purposes

Philanthropy (charity for the poor), economics (economic purposes), and defense (buffer against Spanish Florida).

Religious freedom exclusion

Catholics were excluded from the colony despite broad religious tolerance for others, due to political and religious concerns.

Yamacraw Bluff

Site chosen for the Savannah settlement where Tomochichi and the Yamacraw interacted with Oglethorpe.

Tomochichi

Leader of the Yamacraw who served as Georgia’s early Native American ally and diplomat; often called Georgia’s first ambassador.

Mary Musgrove

Intermediary translator and broker between the colonists and Native Americans, helping to establish Savannah’s settlement.

John Musgrove

Mary Musgrove’s collaborator; aided in mediating between the Yamacraw and the colonists.

Charity colonists

Families sent to Georgia with aid from the Trustees, in exchange for labor and adherence to colony rules.

Headright system

Land distribution method granting settlers a right to land, typically based on family size and status.

Summertime conditions

Hot, humid Georgia summers that contributed to illness and high mortality among early settlers.

Clamorous Malcontents

Colonists who complained about Trustee regulations and restrictions, creating political tension with Oglethorpe’s leadership.

Slavery debates in Georgia

Disputes over whether slavery should be permitted in Georgia, reflecting differing views of Trustees and colonists.

Savannah town layout

A planned, grid-like layout with public squares (the Oglethorpe Plan) designed for defense, order, and social life.

Battle of Bloody Marsh

1742 battle in which English forces repelled a Spanish attempt to seize Georgia, easing frontier pressure.

Jews in colonial Georgia

Jewish settlers who contributed as merchants and artisans within a diverse colonial population.

Scottish Highlanders

Immigrant group from Scotland’s Highlands who settled in Georgia and contributed as farmers and fighters.

Salzburgers

Lutheran Protestant refugees from Salzburg, Austria, who established Ebenezer and contributed strong farming and religious communities.

Anglican Church

Official established church of the royal colony, shaping religious life and governance in Georgia.

Parishes

Administrative divisions used for local governance and church organization within the colony.

Georgia boundaries

Geographic limits of the colony, which expanded or changed as land was acquired and governance evolved.

Georgia as a Royal Colony

Period after the Trustees surrendered the charter, with governance by the Crown and royal governors.

Slavery in royal Georgia

Legalized slavery under royal control, leading to a slave-based economy and deeper social stratification.

Colonial social ladder

Hierarchy of occupations and statuses (planters, merchants, artisans, laborers, enslaved people) with limited mobility for many groups.

Mobility and voice

Who could rise in status and who lacked political influence; freeholders and skilled workers had more voice than slaves and many women.

Tomochichi as ambassador

Recognition of Tomochichi’s diplomatic role with the English, earning him a place as Georgia’s early ambassador.