The Growth of Georgia 1789 – 1840

Education in Georgia Established on January 27, 1785 Abraham Baldwin, appointed by Governor Lyman Hall, wrote the charter creating UGA Baldwin served as president of UGA from 1785 to 1801 UGA existed only on paper for 16 years, but finally opened its doors in 1801 First permanent building, Franklin College, opened in 1806 (all-male, all-white) The University of Georgia was the first public university to be chartered, but the University of North Carolina held classes first.

Georgia’s Five Capitals Prediction Questions Throughout Georgia’s history, we have had FIVE different capital cities. Can you identify the cities marked on the map? What observations can you make about the locations of all five cities? The cities are numbered by their order in history, what observations can you make about the change of location over time? Make a prediction why. In order to move west, Georgia is gaining more territory. Where is this land coming from? Georgia’s Five Capitals 1 2 3 4 5 Savannah (1732-1784) Augusta (1785-1795) Louisville (1796-1806) Milledgeville (1806- 1867) Atlanta (1868-Present)

Georgia’s FIVE Capitals Savannah: Colonial capital and 1st capital city of Georgia. Augusta: 2nd As the British military moved into Savannah, the Patriots moved the capital upriver to Augusta. War activities would cause the a period of “rotating capitals” to move back and forth between Savannah and Augusta; therefore dates are difficult to assess Louisville: 3rd (1796- 1807) As the population moved west, Augusta became too far east. Louisville was selected because its location was the new center of Georgia’s population. Named after French King Louis for his assistance in the American Revolution. Several factors brought an end to this location: Malaria outbreak every year Difficulty using the Ogeechee River as a trade route Population continually moved northwest

Georgia’s FIVE Capitals Milledgeville: 4th (1806 -1866) In 1802, Creek lands west of Louisville were ceded (given) to the state. The push to move further west was underway. Keeping up with the population migration, the capital was then moved west Served as the state capital for 60 years and through the Civil War City was named for the then Governor John Milledge who had donated 40,000 acres of land to build UGA. Atlanta: 5th and Current The removal of Cherokees in 1838 led lawmakers to anticipate another westward movement of the capital. The chartering of the Western and Atlantic Railroad led to the development of a town called Terminus, meaning end of the RR line. Briefly renamed Marthasville after the Governor’s daughter (Martha) Renamed Atlanta after the Western and Atlantic Railroad. In 1868, after the Civil War, the capital was officially moved to Atlanta.

Technology Does it help or hurt?

Intended Consequences Unintended Consequences Consider the Following Text Messaging: fast and efficient method of communication at your finger tips. Intended Consequences Unintended Consequences Eliminates long phone conversations Allows you to message quickly and instantly Loss of human interaction Contributes to the inability to spell and communicate effectively (SMH, LOL, BTW, BRB) 1,000s of vehicular deaths yearly.

Cotton Gin Background Tobacco was destroying the soil, so the state was looking for ways to make growing cotton profitable. Eli Whitney invented this tool Cotton was previously deseeded by hand at the rate of about ONE pound per day

How it worked… Cotton Gin Video Description of Machine: Bolls put into hopper Crank turned a cylinder with wire teeth pulling the cotton past a grate Slots in the grate would allow cotton to pass through but not its seeds 2nd cylinder pulls cotton off 1st cylinder

Intended Consequences Unintended Consequences Cotton Gin Intended Consequences Unintended Consequences Able to remove seeds from 50 pounds of cotton each day Faster, more efficient method for cleaning cotton Increase production Led to Westward Expansion The south grew a majority of the world’s cotton by the end of the 19th century The south became dependent on one crop Increased slavery

Railroads Created as a better way to transport goods (cotton) 1832-Georgia’s first railroad was chartered Georgia was ranked in the top ten for railroad track mileage. Developed partially from the concept of the steamboat Built to be pulled by steam engines or horse. Video

Intended Consequences Unintended Consequences Railroads Intended Consequences Unintended Consequences Easier, faster, more efficient transportation Solved issues of difficult transportation on rough roads or lack of water access Took business away from freight traffic along rivers First time for development of cities not along rivers Made Atlanta the first major American city to be built on a location without a navigable river

The Thirst for Land

Original Georgia Charter of 1732 King George II granted James Oglethorpe and the Trustees a charter in 1732 to establish the colony of Georgia. This charter provided that the new colony would consist of Land between the Savannah River and Altamaha River Eastern boundary the Atlantic Ocean Western boundary the Pacific Ocean.

After French and Indian War Georgia's original boundary remained the same from the founding of the colony until 1763. The French and Indian War ended in a major territorial victory for the British. England, France, and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Georgia took on a new shape as a result of that treaty: North to 33 latitude East to Savannah R South to Altamaha R Western boundary became the Mississippi River

After the American Revolution After the American Revolution, Georgia gained access to a large amount of land from the Native Americans who sided with the British. The 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War and expanded Georgia’s boarders North to 35 latitude South to St. Marys Western border stayed at the Mississippi River

After The Yazoo Land Fraud After the Yazoo Land Fraud, Georgia lost large amounts of land and had to forfeit to the U.S. Government. Western border was now the Chattahoochee River for the bottom half of Georgia. From the bend of the Chatt. the border is a direct line north to the Tennessee River. Eastern border remained Atlantic Ocean and Savannah River Northern border is the 35 degree north latitude Southern border is a direct line east from the junction of Chatt. and the Flint River to St. Mary’s River

Headright System Description: Used to distribute land until 1803 Land east of the Oconee River Amount of Land: Depending on the individual’s circumstances, they could receive 200 – 1,000 acres of land Men who had families or slaves would receive an additional 50 acres per family member (slaves included) with a limit of 1,000 acres; causing a massive migration to Georgia. Who Received the Land: Soldiers who fought during the Revolutionary War (including Austin Dabney) Heads of households--white men 21 and up Problem: too many people were claiming land, but not enough land to offer

Yazoo Land Fraud Description: 1795 The thought of gaining free or cheap land led to political corruption After being bribed, the General Assembly of Georgia sold millions of acres to 4 land companies for $500,000. This was about 1 ½ cents per acre. Amount of Land: 35 million acres Coosa River to Mississippi River Modern North Carolina to Florida

Yazoo Land Fraud Who Received the Land: The companies intended to sell the land (making huge profits) to either other land speculators or to innocent civilians hoping to move to new land Problems/Results: Citizens were furious when they found out about the bribery Many involved fled the state Copies of the Yazoo Act were burned on the steps of the capital in Louisville. Yazoo Land Act was repealed in 1796 Compact of 1802 transferred the land and claims to the federal government In exchange, the federal government gave Ga 1.25 million This land later became the current states of Mississippi and Alabama Ga’s western boundary was moved to the Chattahoochee River

Land Lottery Description: 1805-1833 (Gold lottery was #7 in 1832) Eight land lotteries were held Amount of Land: Land won in the lottery varied in size from 50 to 500 acres (much smaller than the 1000 acres in the Headright System) Who Received the Land: 1805-1st lottery Bachelor, 21 years or over, 1 year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 1 draw Married man with wife and/or child, 1 year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 2 draws Widow with child under 21 years, 1 year residence in Georgia – 2 draws Orphan or family of orphans under 21 years, with father dead and mother dead or remarried – 1 draw

How did it work? To take part, a person would simply submit their names to the state and buy a ticket. On the day of the lottery, the participants’ names, called a draw, were placed in one drum while the lots bearing a number would be placed in the second drum. Depending on circumstance, your name (draw) could be placed in the drum more than once Problems/Results: This system brought the state into conflict with the Creek and Cherokee Indians

Map Time!

Louisiana Purchase (1803) Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s third president, bought Louisiana from France for $15 million. This doubled the size of the country.