Christian Gottlieb Priber
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Christian Gottlieb Priber (March 21, 1697 – 1744) was a German
immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...
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. He died during his imprisonment by the British in Frederica, Georgia.


Early life and education

Christian Gottlieb Priber was born on March 21, 1697, in
Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...
,
Electorate of Saxony The Electorate of Saxony, also known as Electoral Saxony ( or ), was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire from 1356 to 1806 initially centred on Wittenberg that came to include areas around the cities of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. It was a ...
to Friedrich Priber, a linen merchant and beerhouse owner, and Anna Dorothea Bergmann. Priber studied law at Erfurt University where, in October 1722, he published his dissertation: ''The Use of the Study of Roman Law and the Ignorance of that Law in the Public Life of Germany''.


Utopian activity in America

Priber's activity in America involved the
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
people, who, at the time, occupied a powerful position in southeastern colonial America. 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. 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 An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to foster a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork. Such communities typically promote shared values or beliefs, or pursue a common vision, which may be political ...
, the idea of which he based on
Plato's Republic The ''Republic'' (; ) is a Socratic dialogue authored by Plato around 375 BC, concerning justice (), the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is Plato's best-known work, and one of the world's most influential ...
; he envisioned that a united confederation made up of all the native tribes in the region could play off the different colonial powers,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and
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, and strengthen their hold on tribal land. Priber opposed private property and supported refuge for runaway slaves and debtors in Cherokee territory as 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 had five children. Priber died in 1744 during his imprisonment, in Frederica, Georgia.


References


Further reading

* Also available in reprint, 2003, from Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Com, .


External links


Short Priber biography at OurGeorgiaHistory.com
1697 births 1744 deaths American abolitionists American pioneers German writers German emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies 18th-century Cherokee history Mystics People from Zittau Founders of utopian communities American founders {{Germany-bio-stub