Georgia Georgia and the American Experienceand the American Experience

Chapter 6:Chapter 6:An Age of Expansion, 1783-An Age of Expansion, 1783-

18381838

Study Presentation Study Presentation

Georgia Georgia and the American Experienceand the American Experience

Section 1: Section 1: Creating A New Government

Section 2: Section 2: Land Fever in Georgia

Section 3: Section 3: Economic Growth in Georgia

Section 4:Section 4: Georgia At the Dawn of a New Century

Section 5:Section 5: The War of 1812

Section 6:Section 6: Native Americans in Georgia

Section 1: Creating A New Government

• Essential Question – What was Georgia’s role in the

Constitutional Convention?

Section 1: Creating A Section 1: Creating A New Government New Government

• What words do I need to know?–U.S. Constitution

–Bill of Rights

–General Assembly

Constitutional Convention Constitutional Convention of 1787of 1787

• William Few and Abraham Baldwin represented Georgia at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia; George Washington presided

• U.S. Constitution established three governmental branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial

• Senate and House of Representatives established; only three-fifths of slave population would count toward representation

U.S. Constitution Ratified U.S. Constitution Ratified in 1788in 1788

• Georgia was fourth state to ratify (approve) the new Constitution

• Constitution could be amended (changed); first 10 amendments became Bill of Rights

• George Washington became the first President

Postwar Georgia Postwar Georgia • Economy in ruin; government provided food

basics as farmers tried to reestablish their farms

• Capital moved to Augusta• Georgia delegates met in 1788 and 1789;

adopted state constitution similar to national government, with three branches

• General Assembly had two houses, Senate and House of Representatives; appointed governor and judges; controlled spending decisions

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Section 2: Land Fever in Georgia

• Essential Question – How did many Georgians obtain land

in the twenty years following the end of the American Revolution?

Section 2: Land Fever in Section 2: Land Fever in Georgia Georgia

• What words do I need to know?–headright system

–Yazoo land fraud

–Louisiana Purchase

Headright System Headright System • Indian land in Georgia east of the Oconee River

was given to settlers• Every white male counted as a head of

household and had the “right” to receive up to 1,000 acres

• This was generally replaced in 1803 by a land lottery for government-owned land west of the Oconee

• All white heads-of-household could buy a lottery chance and win land; millions of acres in several states were given away

Yazoo Land FraudYazoo Land Fraud• Around 1795, four companies bribed the

governor and legislators• Bought millions of acres in western Georgia

(today’s Alabama and Mississippi) for 1½¢ an acre

• The public found out and protested; the legislators involved were voted out of office

• General Assembly repealed the law approving the sale; the federal government paid more than $4 million to help Georgia settle Yazoo land claims

The Western TerritoryThe Western Territory

• In 1802, Georgia ceded (gave up) its land claims west of the Chattahoochee River to the federal government for $1.25 million

• President Thomas Jefferson doubled the nation’s size in 1803 with the Louisiana territory purchase; the U.S. paid France $15 million for land that stretched to the Rocky Mountains

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Section 3: Economic Growth Section 3: Economic Growth in Georgiain Georgia

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION– How did Georgia rebuild and expand

its economy in the late 17th and early 18th century?

Section 3: Economic Section 3: Economic Growth in GeorgiaGrowth in Georgia

• What words do I need to know? – depression

– turnpike

– cotton gin

– mechanical reaper

Cotton and the Cotton GinCotton and the Cotton Gin

• Eli Whitney in 1793 invented a machine for separating cotton seeds from its fiber

• Increased the amount cotton growers could process each day

• The gin used wire teeth on a turning cylinder to separate the seed from fiber

The Mechanical ReaperThe Mechanical Reaper

• Cyrus McCormick invented a machine to cut grain in a field

• Wooden paddles attached to a horse’s harness allowed six times more grain to be cut per day than previous methods

• Georgia farmers could work larger and more profitable farms with these agricultural machines

Depression and the Panic of 1837Depression and the Panic of 1837

• Many Georgia banks failed between 1837 and the early 1840s

• This happened during a depression (a sharp economic downturn)

• Many business failed; many farmers and planters lost their land

• Many banks didn’t have enough cash to pay out money their depositors had entrusted to them

Early Roads in Georgia Early Roads in Georgia

• Railroads, most built after 1830, replaced horses, stagecoaches, and boats

• Most Georgia roads ran east to west; they were former Indian footpaths

• Plank roads over wetlands that featured “pikes” or gates were called turnpikes

• Travelers paid a toll, or fee at each pike; the Old Federal Road connected Athens north to Tennessee

TerminusTerminus• Located at the southern end of a rail line that

originated in Chattanooga, Tennessee

• Later remained Marthasville, after the daughter of former Governor Wilson Lumpkin

• Marthasville became Atlanta, and the capital of Georgia

• Rail lines greatly reduced travel time for people and freight

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Section 4: Georgia at the Section 4: Georgia at the Dawn of a New CenturyDawn of a New Century

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION– How did lifestyles differ in Georgia

between frontier families and town dwellers?

Section 4: Georgia at the Section 4: Georgia at the Dawn of a New CenturyDawn of a New Century

• What words do I need to know?

–pioneers

–frontier Georgia

–cultural refinements

–townsfolk

Frontier GeorgiaFrontier Georgia• Undeveloped land in central and western

Georgia • Few settlers; much land given away in land

lotteries• Far-flung trading posts were only stores• Often danger lurked from hostile attacks • Social activities often centered around

necessary work• The country store became the center of

activity; few luxuries were available

Life in Georgia’s TownsLife in Georgia’s Towns• Cultural refinements (higher level living)

set apart frontier and town lifestyles • Newspapers, theater, and debate

societies • Fancy balls, barbecues, camp

meetings, and horse racing• Orphanages, hospitals, and facilities for

people with special needs were operated

Religious ActivitiesReligious Activities• Anglicans, Quakers, and Methodist circuit

riders (traveling ministers for frontier dwellers) grew in number

• Georgia’s first Roman Catholic Church established in Wilkes County in 1796

• Savannah had active Jewish synagogue• As more towns were established, churches

become central to community life • In other parts of America, the Mormon church

and the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) churches were started

Education in GeorgiaEducation in Georgia

• The University of Georgia chartered in 1785 as nation’s first land-grant university; opened for classes in 1801

• UGA was often called Franklin College in its early days

• By 1820, there were forty academies (schools) across the state

• Georgia Female College (later Wesleyan College) opened in 1836

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Section 5: The War of 1812Section 5: The War of 1812

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION– What were the causes of the War of

1812?

Section 5: The War of 1812Section 5: The War of 1812

• What words and people do I need to know?– embargo

– president James Madison

– war hawks

– Treaty of Ghent

Unhappy with French and Unhappy with French and British Trade Policies British Trade Policies

• Years of war between Great Britain and France prompted both countries to try to block U.S. trade with its enemy

• British ships made American sailors serve with the British Navy

• President Thomas Jefferson ordered an embargo in 1807 to stop trade with foreign countries; this proved disastrous to American shipping

The War HawksThe War Hawks• Land-hungry Southerners and Westerners• Believed British were stirring up the Indians in

the western territories • Argued for war against Great Britain• Believed the British should be driven from

Canada to eliminate the problems in the western territories

• President James Madison pushed Congress to declare war on Great Britain in 1812; the war declaration narrowly passed

War Breaks Out War Breaks Out • War lasted for two years; neither side gained

advantage during first two years• In 1814, British attack and burn Washington, the

young national capital• British later attacked Baltimore harbor; “The Star

Spangled Banner” written during The Battle of Fort McHenry

• The Battle of New Orleans, fought after the Treaty of Ghent ended the war, was a decisive American victory

• The war united the American states as one nation; Andrew Jackson became a national hero

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Section 6: Native Section 6: Native Americans in GeorgiaAmericans in Georgia

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION– Why were the Indians removed from

Georgia?

Section 6: Native Section 6: Native Americans in Georgia Americans in Georgia

• What words do I need to know?– syllabary– Oconee War– Treaty of New York– Red Sticks– White Sticks– Treaty of Indian Springs– Trail of Tears

Cherokee CultureCherokee Culture• Most advanced of Georgia’s tribes; learned

quickly from white settlers• Some, like Chief James Vann, lived in large

houses• Chief Vann encouraged Christianity• Sequoyah developed a syllabary, a group of

symbols that stand for whole syllables; it gave Cherokees a written form of their language

• Government modeled on that of United States; capital at New Echota by 1825

Creek Indians Creek Indians • Series of clashes between Creek and settlers

who pushed into their land known as Oconee War

• Treaty of New York: Creeks give up all land east of the Oconee River, but could keep land on the west side; this angered Georgia settlers, who felt betrayed by their government

• Land treaties were often broken• Red Stick Creeks endorsed war to fight for

their land claims; White Stick Creeks wanted peace

The Creek WarThe Creek War• Red Sticks attacked Fort Mims, killing more

than 400 people• The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, in Alabama,

ended the Creek War in 1814; Andrew Jackson led the U.S. troops

• The Creeks were forced to give up nearly all their land to the U.S. government

• The Treaty of Indian Springs gave up last Creek lands in Georgia to the U.S.; Chief William McIntosh was later murdered by rival Creeks for signing the treaty

Creek Removal Creek Removal

• Treaty of Washington (1832) resulted in 5 million acres of Creek land ceded to the United States

• U.S. agreed to allow Creeks who wished to remain and live on 2 million of those acres; the U.S. promised to protect those who stayed

• Those who didn’t wish to stay would have to move to the western territories

• The treaty was broken; by 1840, nearly all Creeks were forced to move west

The Trail of TearsThe Trail of Tears• Discovery of gold in north Georgia heightened

demand for Cherokee land• The Supreme Court ruled that Cherokee territory

was not subject to state law, but the ruling was not enforced

• Between 1832 and 1835, Cherokees were stripped of their land

• In 1838, thousands of Cherokees were forcibly removed to Oklahoma; about 4,000 died from disease, exposure, or hunger

• 700 to 800 escaped and hid in the North Carolina mountains

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