What was the main reason for the establishment of the Georgia colony?

• A. To serve as a penal colony for criminals
• B. To serve as a buffer against Spanish Florida
• C. To establish a trade outpost with Native Americans
• D. To promote religious freedom for Quakers

Answer: (B)

Georgia was founded mainly to act as a defensive border between the English colonies and Spanish Florida. Its southern position along the Atlantic coast meant it could serve as a buffer, reducing the risk of raids from St. Augustine and helping to protect Carolina and other nearby settlements. Establishing a colony there gave England a line of defense and a base to project military strength on the frontier, which fit the imperial strategy of keeping Spanish and other threats further away from valuable colonial towns and exports. While later ideas about reforming debtors and other social goals influenced Georgia’s early history, the central reason tied to its creation was national defense and border security.