Final answer:
James Oglethorpe, a member of the British Parliament, played a key role in founding the colony of Georgia. His plan was to create a social experiment and a military buffer against Spanish Florida. Despite initial support and funding by Parliament, the Trustee system was replaced by royal governance in 1752 due to economic difficulties.
Step-by-step explanation:
The member of Parliament who was instrumental in founding the colony of Georgia was James Oglethorpe. In the 1730s, influenced by Enlightenment ideals and concerned with the plight of debtors in England, Oglethorpe petitioned King George II for a charter for the new colony. This venture was not only a social experiment aimed at providing relief to the deserving poor but also served as a strategic buffer between South Carolina and Spanish Florida. Oglethorpe and other trustees advocated for this new settlement to offer new beginnings for the impoverished and to serve as a military buffer.
Oglethorpe's vision for Georgia included smallholder farms, which became central to the colony's establishment. However, despite the initial investments by Parliament, including a notable subsidy of £10,000 in 1733, Georgia struggled economically and ultimately, the Trustee system gave way to a traditional royal colonial government in 1752. The colony faced numerous challenges, including the failure of luxury item industries such as wine and silk, and became a royal colony ruled by a series of royal governors on behalf of the king.
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