Jews, Salzburgers, Highland Scots, and Malcontents in colonial Georgia

Jews, Salzburgers, Highland Scots, and Malcontents SS8H2 Analyze the colonial period of Georgia’s history.c. Evaluate the role of diverse groups (Jews, Salzburgers, Highland Scots, and Malcontents) in settling Georgia during the Trustee Period.The Trustee Period in Georgia’s history was a unique though unsuccessful social and economic experiment. The Trustees, who were for the most part religious men and social reformers, wanted to start a colony of self-sufficient yeomen farmers who were not influenced by alcohol and not dependent on slavery. In turn, the British government hoped that the colony that would produce agricultural products that Britain had been forced to import from other countries. These goods, including silk and wine, proved to be lackluster in terms of generating profit. Nonetheless, as a buffer colony, Georgia did prove its worth by successfully defending both South Carolina and itself from the Spanish threat in Florida. In the end, due to the permanent departure of James Oglethorpe in 1743 and the complaints made by the Malcontents concerning the selling of rum and their desire to institute slavery in Georgia, the Trustee period ended one year before the Charter of 1732 was set to expire. The lofty goals of the Trustees never came to pass.Jews first arrived in the Georgia colony five months after Oglethorpe landed at Yamacraw Bluff. Though originally banned from the colony by the Charter of 1732, Oglethorpe made an exception to the Trustee’s provisions because one of the 42 Jews was a doctor. Having lost the colony’s only doctor and at least 20 colonists to fever, Oglethorpe was pleased to have medical assistance to slow the yellow fever from spreading. Dr. Samuel Nunes offered his services to the colonists and those who followed his prescription of cold baths and cool drinks survived. Another Jew, Abraham de Lyon, was experienced in viticulture (wine making). Oglethorpe hoped he would be able to assist the colonists in wine production. Fourteen of the Jews were offered land by Oglethorpe and the group remained in the colony, even though they suffered from language, cultural, and religious differences. The Jews eventually established Congregation Mickve Israel, which is the oldest Jewish congregation in the South and the third oldest in the United States.The Salzburgers were a group of peaceful, hard-working German-speaking Protestant refugees from present day Austria. Persecuted by the Catholic monarch of their province who had issued the Edict of Expulsion, giving the Salzburgers three months to leave their native land, King George II, who was himself a German Protestant, offered the Salzburgers the opportunity to settle in the colony of Georgia.Upon arriving in Georgia, the Salzburgers settled a town they named Ebenezer, meaning “Stone of Help.” However, this settlement was too far inland and located in an area that was too swampy with poor water. Many Salzburgers died during their first two years in Georgia. Eventually, the Salzburgers were given permission to relocate to a better location which they named “New Ebenezer.” Once they settled in this new town, they became some of the most successful and industrious colonists in Georgia. They are given credit for being the first group of Georgians to develop a water powered grist mill, a Sunday school, and an orphanage. They were also the only group to have any large-scale success with silk production.The Salzburgers remained strictly anti-slavery during the later colonial years and were extremely loyal to the Trustees. This was due to the help the Trustees gave the Salzburgers during their immigration to the colony. It should also be noted that Georgia’s first Patriot governor, John Adam Treutlen, was a Salzburger.The town of New Ebenezer was damaged during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. However, the church they built in 1763 still stands today. It’s home to the longest existing Lutheran Congregation in the United States. Many of the Salzburgers’ descendants still live in the area in which they settled over 250 years ago. Though the Highland Scots (Scottish Highlanders) shared the Salzburgers’ anti-slavery beliefs and valued the importance of hard work and religion, they were quite different in many aspects. The Highland Scots were brought to Georgia by James Oglethorpe based on their reputation for being some of the best soldiers in the world. The group was given land near the abandoned Fort King George, which they named Darien. With the promise of owning their own land, the Highland Scots fought in the Battle of Bloody Marsh and in two failed campaigns to capture St. Augustine, Florida. Many of the Highland Scots’ ancestors played important roles in Georgia’s history. Today, McIntosh County is named in honor of one of these important families.The provisions created by the Charter of 1732 eventually caused discontent among the colonists. Dissenters, known as the Malcontents, argued that they were not financially obligated to Oglethorpe and the Trustees as they had paid their own way to the colony. They complained that the limitations placed on land ownership and the ban on slavery stifled their economic opportunities. They resented the restriction on purchasing rum. The ban on rum was lifted in 1732. Having petitioned the Trustees to allow slavery and being declined on multiple occasions, many Malcontent leaders moved from the Georgia colony. However, through written pamphlets demanding change, the Malcontents eventually made their voices known in Georgia and Great Britain. In response to these vocal and written demands, by 1750, the Trustees had passed a law that allowed slavery. The Trustee period would end by 1751, one year before the end of the Charter of 1732 was designed to end.Glossary • Darien - town established by the Highland Scots.• Buffer Colony - one of three reasons for Georgia’s founding; colony was to serve as a defensive buffer between Spanish Florida and the successful English colony of South Carolina. • Malcontents - a group of colonists who complained about the trustee regulations for the Georgia colony; primary complaint was the ban on slavery and rum. Eventually the malcontents got their way as liquor and slavery were allowed in Georgia in the 1750’s. • Salzburgers - a group of Protestants from Austria who were invited to settle in Georgia due to religious persecution they were experiencing in Europe; established the towns of Ebenezer and New Ebenezer; were some of the most successful colonists. Georgia Settlers Watch the video to learn about Georgia's settlers.