Who Founded Georgia?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 04, 2020

Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe in 1732 after he was given a charter by King George II to create a new colony between South Carolina and Florida. The state was subsequently named after the king.

There were two important reasons why Georgia was founded. The first was to give debtors a place to go to start anew, and the second was to have the newly founded colony serve as a barrier to prevent Spanish expansion from Florida. The state was first founded with the intention of having little landholding and no slavery. However, after it became a royal colony in 1752, slavery and plantations became a large part of its economy.