Georgia was the last colony to join the original thirteen. Before becoming a royal colony in 1752, Georgia was a trustee colony meaning it was governed by a board of directors. Under the trustee system, people could not buy land and if they had land could not sell it for a profit. The population was much smaller than the other colonies. Slavery was also prohibited in the colonies as was the consumption of alcohol. The...
Georgia was the last colony to join the original thirteen. Before becoming a royal colony in 1752, Georgia was a trustee colony meaning it was governed by a board of directors. Under the trustee system, people could not buy land and if they had land could not sell it for a profit. The population was much smaller than the other colonies. Slavery was also prohibited in the colonies as was the consumption of alcohol. The change to a royal colony had a dramatic effect on Georgia's agricultural output and economy. The population of the state increased as the land was available for sale. Many wealthy planters saw this as an opportunity to grab large tracts of land to build plantations. Slavery was permitted now and the number of slaves increased from 500 to over 18,000 in a five-year period. The slave system was quickly entrenched in Georgia and within ten years slaves were being brought directly from Africa. Profits soared for the elite, who were a vast minority of the people in the state. The political arrangement was also transformed to a more representative form of government. A legislative body was created that was comprised of citizens elected by wealthy landowners. Courts were also established to settle disputes. All of these changes helped the population of Georgia to grow and the economy to prosper in a way that was not possible during the period of trustees.
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