Christian Gottlieb Priber

Christian Gottlieb Priber (March 21, 1697 - 1744) was a German immigrant with legal training who immigrated to the British Colonies of North America with a vision of establishing a utopian commonwealth among Cherokee and other Native Americans living in the Southeast. Viewed by the Cherokee as a "beloved man", Priber fell afoul of the ruling British for his vision against the envisioned commonwealth holding private property, and his support for their providing sanctuary to runaway slaves and debtors. After the colonial authorities demanded his surrender, British-allied Creeks captured him in 1743, and he died during his imprisoned by the British in Frederica, Georgia.

Christian Gottlieb Priber
BornMarch 21, 1697
Zittau, Germany
Died1744
Frederica, Georgia

Early life and education

Christian Gottlieb Priber was born on March 21, 1697 in Zittau, Electorate of Saxony to Friedrich Priber, a linen merchant and beerhouse owner, and Anna Dorothea Bergmann. Priber studied law at Erfurt University where, in October 1722, he would publish his dissertation: The Use of the Study of Roman Law and the Ignorance of that Law in the Public Life of Germany.[1]

Utopian activity in America

Priber's activity in America involved the Cherokee people, who, at the time, occupied a powerful position in southeastern colonial America.[2] The Cherokee accepted Priber as a "beloved man" because of his affection for Native American culture and his opposition to, as he viewed it, a thoroughly corrupt European culture.[2]

Priber sought the Cherokee out in particular, because he viewed them as an ideal people to actualize his utopian vision. Working in their community, he advocated a communal society, the idea of which he based on Plato's Republic; he envisioned that a united confederation made up of all the native tribes in the region could play off the different colonizers, Spain, France, and England, and strengthen their hold on tribal land.

Priber held a positions against private property, and supporting refuge for runaway slaves and debtors in Cherokee territory as a part his utopian vision. His surrender was demanded by the British authorities in 1739. The British-allied Creeks captured him en route to New Orleans in 1743, and he was handed over to the British colonial authorities and imprisoned in Frederica, Georgia.

Personal life

Priber wed Christiane Dorothea Hoffmann, the daughter of a merchant, printer, and Senator, in November 1722; they would have five children.[1]

Priber died during his imprisonment, in Frederica, Georgia.

gollark: Computerized voting: because computer systems never have big security problems, and trusting elections to closed source voting machines is totally fine!
gollark: I'm not sure why the presidential candidates' age needs to be brought into this when they all seem bad in other ways anyway.
gollark: That would make sense.
gollark: I'm not hip and with it (yo) when it comes to all these... generation name things? What's a "doomer"?
gollark: I do generally prefer flying to cars for reasonably long distances, but the whole "security" thing at airports really does a great job at making me reevaluate that. And is not actually improving security at all.

References
  1. Mellon Jr., Knox (1973). "Christian Priber's Cherokee "Kingdom of Paradise"". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. Georgia Historical Society. 57 (3, Fall): 319–331. ISSN 0016-8297.
  2. Nash, Gary (1992). "Wars for Empire and Indian Strategies for Survival [Ch. 10]". Red, White, and Black. Prentice Hall. pp. 237f. ISBN 013769878X.

Further reading


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.