James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist

Keynote Presentation with Michael Thurmond

The 2024 Georgia History Festival lecture will feature Michael Thurmond, DeKalb County CEO, historian, former Commissioner of Labor, and former member of the Georgia General Assembly. This engaging lecture will highlight the founding of Georgia colony under the leadership of General James Edward Oglethorpe and examines Oglethorpe’s philosophical and moral evolution from slave trader to abolitionist. Mr. Thurmond is also the author of Freedom: Georgia’s Antislavery Heritage, 1733-1865 and A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History.

The lecture will take place in Savannah. The location will be announced soon.