James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist

by Michael L. Thurmond, James F. Brooks (Foreword)

Founded by James Oglethorpe on February 12, 1733, the Georgia colony was envisioned as a unique social welfare experiment. Administered by twenty-one original trustees, the Georgia Plan offered England’s “worthy poor” and persecuted Christians an opportunity to achieve financial security in the New World by exporting goods produced on small farms. Most significantly, Oglethorpe and his fellow Trustees were convinced that economic vitality could not be achieved through the exploitation of enslaved Black laborers.

Due primarily to Oglethorpe’s strident advocacy, Georgia was the only British American colony to prohibit chattel slavery prior to the American Revolutionary War. His outspoken opposition to the transatlantic slave trade distinguished Oglethorpe from British colonial America’s more celebrated founding fathers.

James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia uncovers how Oglethorpe's philosophical and moral evolution from slave trader to abolitionist was propelled by his intellectual relationships with two formerly enslaved Black men. Oglethorpe’s unique “friendships” with Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and Olaudah Equiano, two of eighteenth-century England’s most influential Black men, are little-known examples of interracial antislavery activism that breathed life into the formal abolitionist movement.

Utilizing more than two decades of meticulous research, fresh historical analysis, and compelling storytelling, Michael L. Thurmond rewrites the prehistory of abolitionism and adds an important new chapter to Georgia’s origin story.

Genres: History, American History, Biography, Nonfiction

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2024

Reviews

[Michael Elkon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read. It's 178 pages with plenty of maps and pictures. It's ostensibly about James Oglethorpe but the main character disappears for the last third of the book, which is about the evolution of slavery in Georgia well after Oglethorpe was gone. It feels like Thurmond wanted to write this book for a primary purpose: to vindicate Oglethorpe's reputation as being anti-slavery, a status that he distinguishes from abolitionism because the latter did not evolve until late in Oglethorpe's life (at least in England). He does a fairly good job of this, pointing out not only that Oglethorpe opposed slavery in the Georgia colony when it was founded, but also that he befriended and supported several proto-abolitionists when he returned to England, including Granville Sharp (the winning lawyer in the Somerset case). He bequeathed a chunk of his estate to fund Sharp's work after his death. He was taken aback by the Zorg disaster, a situation where a slave ship ran low on water and the crew's solution was to throw enslaved people (including women and children) into the ocean if they showed any signs of illness.

One would think that in a short book, most of it would be about the founding of the Georgia colony but that isn't the case. We get a concise description of Oglethorpe's thinking as to why the colony should not have slaves: (1) it would be vulnerable to Spanish attack because the colonists would have to devote resources to controlling their slaves as opposed to defending the colony; and (2) the colony was being created for white English debtors and the existence of black slaves would be bad for those debtors, either by making them disinclined to work or by taking their jobs. Part of the modern criticism of Oglethorpe is that he was not motivated by concern for blacks when he banned slavery in the colony. Thurmond's argument is that Oglethorpe's thinking on slavery evolved over time and he came to oppose it on moral grounds as time went on. He may have also been swayed by the strong performance of free blacks in a military conflict with the Spanish in the 1740s. In any event, Oglethorpe had to return to England to defend himself from charges of financial mismanagement and in his absence, the Malcontents reversed the ban on slavery, which caused it to take off in the colony.

The last third of the book is a quick discussion about the evolution of slavery in Georgia. Thurmond could have gone into a lot more depth here if he wanted to broaden his scope. He briefly discussed the Constitutional debate about the status of slavery, which is a well-known story, but he doesn't get into the economic evolution of the slavery system and its corrosive effect on the state's political system. He then covers Sherman's March to the Sea, both because of a meeting between Sherman/Stanton and black clergy in Savannah in January 1865 and also because of an instance where numerous blacks were beaten and enslaved late in the war because Sherman was not protecting the freedmen who were trailing his army (not to mention the fact that Sherman would not enlist them in his forces).

Overall, this was a pretty decent read. I had low-ish expectations because it was written by a politician rather than a historian or journalist, but Thurmond does a credible job. I know more about Oglethorpe than I did before. Thurmond clearly wants to defend Oglethorpe from charges of being pro-slavery but he does not fall victim to the hero worship that comes with so many books about the Founding Fathers (and we have to stretch that term to include Oglethorpe).

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a desk copy of “James Oglethorpe: Father of Georgia” from UGA Press with the possibility that I might assign portions to my Georgia Studies students.

Michael L. Thurmond, CEO of DeKalb County and Georgia historian, starts this book by describing a trip to England in which he retraced James Oglethorpe’s footsteps. He saw a memorial plaque in Cranham, England that called Oglethorpe “Friend of the Oppressed Negro.”

But was he though?

The resounding answer is “Yes!” The first half of the book is a biographical sketch of Oglethorpe with an emphasis on his views on slavery. Thurmond concludes that early on, Oglethorpe was “antislavery.” He and the Trustees banned slavery in Georgia, he assisted in the emancipation of an enslaved person, and opposed the Malcontents who were trying to lift the ban (possibly authoring a letter from the residents of Darien that vocally opposed slavery). After he returned to England, Oglethorpe evolved from “antislavery” to “abolitionist” (though was overshadowed by his protégés).

In the second half of the book, Thurmond recounts various moments in Georgia’s history in regards to slavery as he leads up to the Emancipation Proclamation, Sherman’s March to the Sea, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. While, at first this seemed an odd ending to the book, the conclusion made it clear. Thurmond attempts to show that the “Oglethorpe legacy” lived on and was amplified by Lincoln (though, Lincoln may not have ever actually read about or studied Oglethorpe).

I found this academic work a joy to read. Thurmond writes with a clear writing style. He’s thorough in his arguments. I learned several things that I didn’t know about Oglethorpe (particularly his abolitionist work after leaving Georgia). I will definitely be incorporating the lessons from this book into my curriculum next school year.

[Mark Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lifelong native of Georgia, I learned quite a bit from this meticulously researched book. The founder of the Georgia colony , James Oglethorpe, was a study in contradictions: opposed to the idea of importing Black slaves to Georgia — first due to practical reasons, later for humanitarian and religious grounds — but also an investor in the Royal African Company, the shareholder owned trading company involved in the West African slave trade. Late in life, after he had permanently left Georgia and returned to England, Oglethorpe — influenced by several freed slaves — joined the ranks of the English abolitionists. Ultimately, though, Georgia embraced slavery, because the white colonists demanded it, claiming that only African slaves were genetically suited to work the fields in the semi-tropical climate along the Georgia coast. The British Parliament made an economic, military and political choice — giving in to the colonists demands for thousands of slaves meant more profits for plantation owners (and more revenues flowing back to the Crown) and a more prosperous and populous Georgia also provided a strategic buffer between the Carolinas and Spanish Florida.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of history of the state of Georgia as well as biography of Oglethorpe. After Oglethorpe leaves Georgia, the book turns its focus to the history of slavery from then until the end of the Civil War, and Oglethorpe is not to be found. Appendix contains texts of important letters and other documents such as Sherman’s General Order No. 15, giving freed men land along the coast.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

My biggest criticisms are pretty nitpicky. The title is misleading: the book takes broad strokes at all Georgia history through the Civil War. But it provides some great, if occasionally dry, information on Georgia’s history, especially the Colonial period.

[Jason S · Rating 4 out of 5]

First two thirds of this book is really interesting about the “abolitionist” origins of Georgia when founded by Oglethorpe. The last third is a pretty general rehash of Sherman’s March and 40 acres and a mule.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for upcoming book club. Loved it. 😍 thoroughly researched.

[Jen G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned a great deal about Georgia’s history and Oglethorpe’s legacy. Text is very accessible, well written, and succinct.