Many of America's first European settlers felt they were traveling to a sort of promised land, but James Oglethorpe viewed America - specifically, what is today the state of Georgia - as his own personal utopia. Convincing his king to grant him a land parcel south of the existing colony of Carolina, Oglethorpe threw his lot in with 35 families, many of whom had been freed from debtor's prison, and traveled to the New World. There, he became the first administrator of the Georgian colony and founded the town of Savannah. When Oglethorpe reluctantly returned to England in 1743 under various political pressures, Georgia was quickly placed under direct royal control. A series of unwise governors and unpopular British legislation pushed the colonies into open rebellion. This work tells the detailed story of James Oglethorpe and of Georgia's colonial days from its birth as a colony in 1733 to its emergence as a free state fifty years later. It includes, from Georgia's perspective, details of the military and political movements that led to the Revolutionary War. However, the plight of the common settler is also presented with empathy and understanding.

of 1777 and a detailed timeline.