Question

Why did James Oglethorpe MOST LIKELY come up with the idea to move English debtors to his colony in the New World?

A) To expand his own personal wealth
B) To establish a haven for religious freedom
C) To create a buffer zone against Spanish Florida
D) To address England's problem of overcrowded debtors' prisons

Answer 1

James Oglethorpe aimed to establish a colony in the New World both as a buffer against Spanish Florida and to offer a new start for English debtors, addressing the overcrowding of debtors' prisons.

Step-by-step explanation:

James Oglethorpe most likely came up with the idea to move English debtors to his colony in the New World in order to create a buffer zone against Spanish Florida, and to address England's problem of overcrowded debtors' prisons. Oglethorpe was a social reformer who saw in Georgia a dual opportunity: it could protect the British colonies to the north from Spanish incursions, and also provide a new start for the 'worthy poor' of England. As a military buffer, the colonists would serve as a militia force against Spanish threats, and as a social reform, the colony offered a way out for those imprisoned for debts. The land was to be distributed in fifty-acre plots, facilitating the establishment of smallholding farms, which formed the backbone of the plan for the colony.