1. Headright System Yazoo Land Sale Land Lottery
Land Fever!
Headright System
Yazoo Land Sale
Land Lottery

2. Headright System
Native Americans once controlled much of present- day Georgia
Many Native American leaders sometimes gave up their land in treaties and this land was later given to colonists
The headright system granted acres of land to the heads of families
This increased Georgia’s population

3. Headright System Cont.
By 1782 most of the land grants were given to Revolutionary War veterans
Georgia’s government was weakened by the War and was not strong enough to defend settlements in the western part of the state
Remember: this was something Georgia hoped to gain by signing the Constitution-government help removing Native Americans

4. Yazoo Land Sale

5. Yazoo Land Fraud
In 1795, Georgia’s western borders were the Mississippi River and one of its tributaries, the Yazoo River
Included in this territory were the present states of Alabama and Mississippi
South Carolina and Spain also claimed some of this territory and the matter went to court for settlement

6. Yazoo Land Fraud cont.
Before a settlement was reached, four companies approached Governor Matthews and member of the Georgia Assembly and bribed them to pass a bill allowing them to buy the land
The land companies bought between 35 and 50 million acres for about 1 ½ cents per acre, turning a nice profit when they sold the land

7. Yazoo Protest
Once the public found out about the deal the companies got AND how they bribed members of the Georgia Assembly, protests and public anger ensued leading to the legislators involved being voted out of office!
All records of the lands sales were burned in public in the capital of Louisville

8. Refunds?
The state offered a refund from the land sales but many people who bought the land wanted to keep it
These people went to court and the federal government resolved the matter by paying over $4 million to settle the claims

9. Land Lost
Instead of gaining land from the Yazoo deal, Georgia lost land and money
In 1802 Georgia ceded (gave up) its lands west of the Chattahoochee River to the federal government for $1.25 million, making the river Georgia’s western boundary
As part of the governments deal, they agreed to remove Creek Indians from Georgia’s borders
These actions inadvertently led to the Trail of Tears