PDF On the Rim of the Caribbean: Colonial Georgia and the British Atlantic World by Paul Pressly in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Refreshingly new look at the early economy and life of Colonial Georgia- highly recommendedBy T. phillipsPressly focuses on the development of the economic life of early Georgia and gives us many interesting charts;graphs; maps;and images that are very helpful.Pressly gives us what I would call a British viewpoint of Ga looking from the outside in; maybe because he has a doctorate from Oxford.Pressly gives us a clear breakdown of the geography of Ga and how the different regions have a totally different economic flavor. There is a vast difference in the economy and social life of the "Up Country" areas such as Augusta which is dominated by the Indian deerskin traders and dirt farmers and the rice and indigo farming in the coastal areas which is more dominated by large plantations and the planter elite.Pressly shows us how the coastal areas develop their economy with rice and indigo as opposed to the skin trading in Augusta. He develops in detail how the slave trade develops in Ga and he gives us many statistics and charts on all these subjects. He shares the very ugly details of the importation of slaves and the development of the slave trade in Ga.p.132--"It (Slavery) was a dirty business. Death was everywhere--on the ships bringing in the "New Negroes"; at the Lazaretto at Tybee; in the holding pens where the sick and weak gave up on life--."He gives us a clear overview of how the ships move back and forth to Africa to England to The Sugar Islands to the American Colonies and especially to Ga and S C; He draws clear contrasts and differences between Ga and the other colonies especially S C.One of the main areas he develops is how Ga becomes a part of the overall Caribbean trading system within the British Empire which gives Savannah a Caribbean flavor.From the introduction page 5 "Beginning its odyssey as a virtually bankrupt colony; Georgia came into its own as a plantation economy at the very moment when the British West Indies reached its golden age of prosperity" He clearly contrasts how different that Ga is from S C; in its economy and social attitudes and his narratives of the shops and wharfs around Charleston and Savannah are very colorful. He shares very intimate knowledge of the cities of Savannah and Charleston and their economic activities and the people involved.He walks us down the streets and wharfs and names most stores;traders; and merchants and brings this to life for us in Charleston and Savannah.He gives us much detail on the development of the rice and indigo plantations.He shows us how all the American Colonies relate economically to the overall British Mercantile System worldwide and how important the "Sugar Islands" are in this overall system and how uniquely Ga fits into this overall scheme.This is a wonderful addition to the body of work we have on trading and economics in Colonial Ga and S C such as Braunds "Deerskins and Duffels" and Gallay's " Foundation of a Planter Elite"; Cashin's books on the Augusta traders and McGillivray; Betty Wood "Slavery in Colonial Georgia"0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A good history of the development of colonial GeorgiaBy Trey ShippThe title of this book understates its scope. For while Pressly shows how colonial Georgia was tied to the West Indies and Atlantic trade; he also tells how Georgia’s economy rose from next to nothing during the Trustee period to prosperity by the beginning of the Revolutionary War.The strength of this book is the amount of research Pressly brings to the page. While other accounts might simply state that rice and deerskins were important to the economy; Pressly shows us the map of where they came from; gives us stories about the people who traded them; and lists the statistics of how many pounds were shipped out each year. It is a good combination of individual examples with global statistics.While there are times when the details slow the book down; he gives a good picture of the struggles people faced at the time. How did they make a living? What did they produce? Who were their buyers? Who gave them credit? By answering these questions; Pressly has written a very informative history of the development of colonial Georgia.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A region thoughtfully brought to lifeBy Steven E. SandersonThis book is a great testament to the importance of regional history and publishing. Setting Coastal Georgia in the orbit of the Caribbean is convincing and valuable. Dr. Pressly writes with authority across the wide range of empire and commerce; from the deerskin trade to indigo and rice. He compares Savannah with Charleston in enlightening ways and brings the struggles of colonial life into perspective. A fine study of historical political economy.