Inspired by his successful campaign to empty the debtor’s prisons in England, Oglethorpe, aided by a group of fellow Members of Parliament, convinced King George II to grant them a charter for land south of the existing colony of Carolina. He threw his lot in with 114 poor colonists from the streets of London and sailed aboard the Anne to the New World. There as the sole resident Trustee, Oglethorpe took charge of founding the Colony of Georgia at Savannah, the first pre-planned town in America. After shepherding the colony by establishing more villages and towns, building forts, holding off the disruptive initiates from the South Carolina leaders, expanding the territorial expanse and fighting off the Spanish, Oglethorpe sailed away from Georgia in the summer of 1743 under political pressures. The colony languished until the Trustees surrendered the Charter in 1752 and Georgia became a royal province. Through the often misguided, yet effective administrative of three royal governors covering some 21 years, life in Georgia improved as prosperity emerged. But with a series of unpopular British legislative acts, the province was eventually pushed into open rebellion as the patriot spirit flourished.
Biography of David Lee Russell
Born: Wilmington, North Carolina
David Lee Russell is the author of three history books on the American Revolution as it unfolded in the South. This focus on the South was approached out of observation that most books covering that period of American History centered on the events in New England and Middle Atlantic colonies.
David's interest in history was always there throughout his life, but having been influenced by an R&D engineer father, he earned a B.S. Degree in Aerospace Engineering from N. C. State University. David then attended Naval Aviation Officer's Candidate School in Pensacola and was commissioned as Ensign-Special Duty Intelligence. He then served as an Air/ASW Intelligence Officer in Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean for Patrol Squadron Four.
After his military service, David started his long career in Information Technology Management in support of various Fortune 500 corporations.
David resides in Milton, Georgia and continues his writing projects.
