The first permanent English settlement in the territory of present-day Georgia was founded in 1733 at Savannah.
Who founded the settlement and why?
General James Oglethorpe led a group of 120 English settlers to found the colony of Georgia. Oglethorpe was a member of Parliament who was concerned about the plight of the poor in England. He believed that a new colony in America could provide a fresh start for these people. Oglethorpe also hoped that Georgia would become a buffer between the English colonies and Spanish Florida.