Final answer:
Georgia colonists were eager to see slavery legalized after the Trustee period to support the growth of a plantation-based economy. The Malcontents and other factors pressured the Trustees to legalize slavery, which was ultimately tied to land ownership after 1750.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many Georgia colonists were eager to see slavery legalized after the trustee period ended because slavery was integral to the plantation-based economy in Georgia. The demand for legalizing slavery increased due to factors such as larger land grants, the development of solvent populations within the colony, and pressure from plantation owners in South Carolina looking to expand. Particularly influential were the Malcontents, a group within Georgia, who actively pushed against the ban on slavery imposed by the Trustees. Once the ban was lifted in 1750, land grants were tied to slave ownership, allowing for significant expansion of the plantation economy and a grave impact on the Trustee system that had governed the colony.
It is important to note that during the Trustee period there was opposition to slavery among many of Georgia's free laborers, who feared the devaluation of their labor, and amongst religious groups for moral reasons. Yet, as the plantation economy grew, the economic benefits appeared to take precedence, and the legalizing of slavery facilitated the growth of rich, aristocratic plantations that contributed significantly to the wealth and power of the American South leading up to the American Revolution.