Georgia voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution, becoming
the fourth state in the modern United States on this day
in 1788.
Named after King George II of Great Britain, Georgia was
first settled by Europeans in 1733, when a group of British
debtors led by English philanthropist James E. Oglethorpe
traveled up the Savannah River and established Georgia’s
first permanent settlement—the town of Savannah.
In 1742, as part of a larger conflict between Spain and
Great Britain, Oglethorpe defeated the Spanish on St.
Simons Island in Georgia, effectively ending Spanish
claims to the territory of Georgia.
King George II (1727 – 1760)
James Edward Oglethorpe
(1696 – 1785)
