Review by Choice Review
A collection of essays written to commemorate the bicentennial of the death of James Edward Oglethorpe, a seasoned military personality and a Jacobite who had interests in philanthropy. Oglethorpe was the leader among a group of "trustees" who during the early 1730s produced altered maps of the southeastern frontier so that Britain could claim the "Debatable Land" between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers and thereby block Spanish expansion into British South Carolina. Oglethorpe became a dominant figure in the creation of British Georgia, fought a long but losing battle against the introduction of black slavery into the colony from South Carolina, prohibited use of liquor in Georgia, and maintained dominance over local spiritual and missionary leaders' attempts to frustrate his secular authority. Oglethorpe tried hard but failed to maintain friendly relations with the Indians. After leaving Georgia, and at a comparatively advanced age, he joined with his friend Field Marshall James Keith to carry out military action on the Continent against the hated French. Of particular interest to readers is Edwin Jackson's beautifully written and illustrated essay on Oglethorpe iconography. Photographs. College, university, and public libraries. -J. D. Born Jr., Wichita State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
