1780’s Spread of Religion Baptist and Methodist churches began to grow with the absence of the Church of England Circuit Riders, ministers who travel from church to church, bring religion into the western frontier

1785: University of Georgia In 1784, Georgia’s legislature, the General Assembly, set aside 40,000 acres of land for the University of Georgia.

1786: Georgia Capitals move West As Georgia’s population began to shift more and more to the west, Georgia’s capital cities moved westward as well Throughout its history, Georgia has had five capital cities (remember the acronym S.A.L.M.A.) Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville, Atlanta

Savannah (1732-1784) - Augusta (1785-1795) - Louisville (1796-1806) - Milledgeville (1806-1867) - Atlanta (1868-Present)

1700’s to 1800’s Headright System All heads of household were entitled to 200 acres, plus 50 acres per family member (including slaves), up to a limit of 1000 acres!!! Land came from East of the Oconee River

1795- 1802 Yazoo Land Fraud Four speculation companies bribed the General Assembly to sell them huge tracts of land for extremely low prices, so that they could sell it to others for profit

1803 Land Lottery Land won in the lottery varied in size from 500 to 50 acres(much smaller than the 1000 acres in the Headright System) • All free white men living in Georgia for one year were givenone chance; widows or veterans were given two chances

Technology In 1793, while visiting a plantation near Savannah, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin to quickly and easily clean cotton of its seeds. Almost overnight, cotton became the dominant crop in the south, and Georgia was the nation’s largest producer.

In 1834, workers began building the Georgia Railroad, which was to extend from Athens to Augusta. The growth of cotton meant there was a need for a better means of transporting cotton from Georgia’s interior to the port city of Savannah. • Transportation by wagon, flatboat, and steamboat was slow and expensive.

Native Americans in Georgia Cherokee Creek territory

1790- Treaty of New York President George Washington signs a treaty with Chief Alexander McGillivray stating the Creek Indians would give up their land east of the Oconee River for a promise that the whites would not move west.

War of 1812 Red Stick Creek Indians join British forces in a battle in Georgia.

1813-1814 Creek War Battle of Horseshoe Bend, led by Andrew Jackson. The U.S. Army defeats the Creek in Alabama and the Creek are forced to give up most of their land in Georgia.

1825: Treaty of Indian Springs Creek Chief, William McIntosh, gives up the rest of the Creek land in Georgia for $200,000. The Chief is murdered by his tribe.

1829: Dahlonega Gold is discovered in Dahlonega. The General Assembly declares Cherokee laws null and void and claims the Cherokee land.

1830: Indian Removal Act President Andrew Jackson calls for the forced removal of all Native Americans to the Western territory of Oklahoma.

1832 Remaining Cherokee land is divided up and given out in the state’s land lottery

1835: Treaty of New Echota Cherokee Chief, John Ross, is forced to sign over the Cherokee land to the U.S. Government.

November 1838 Trail of Tears Cherokees begin the 700-800 mile walk to the new Indian Territory of Oklahoma. - 6 months to make the trip - 4,000 die of cold, starvation, and illness - 15,000 – 17,000 Indians were moved off of their land