<P> The colonies developed prosperous economies based on the cultivation of cash crops, such as tobacco, indigo, and rice . A side effect of the cultivation of these crops was the presence of slavery in significantly higher proportions than in other parts of British America . </P> <P> The British colony of Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe on February 12, 1733 . The colony was administered by the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America under a charter issued by (and named for) King George II . The Trustees implemented an elaborate plan for the settlement of the colony, known as the Oglethorpe Plan, which envisioned an agrarian society of yeoman farmers and prohibited slavery . In 1742 the colony was invaded by the Spanish during the War of Jenkins' Ear . In 1752, after the government failed to renew subsidies that had helped support the colony, the Trustees turned over control to the Crown . Georgia became a Crown colony, with a governor appointed by the king . </P> <P> The Province of Georgia was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution by signing the 1776 Declaration of Independence . After the war, Georgia became the fourth state of the Union after ratifying the Constitution on January 2 . </P> <P> The warm climate and swampy lands make it perfect for growing crops such as tobacco, rice, and sugar . </P>

Who held social and political power in the southern colonies