GEORGIA STUDIES

Government, Land Fever, & Economics in Georgia

1780-1840

Introduction to Government

The first constitution of the United States was called the Articles of Confederation.

Under the Articles, the federal government was very weak.

Articles of Confederation

Because of its weaknesses, it was hard for the thirteen colonies to become one nation.

In 1787, fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia, PA to revise the Articles of Confederation

Georgia’s representatives were Abraham Baldwin & William Few

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

The United States Constitution

The new constitution, written in 1787, created a government with three branches. Executive – President, Vice-President, and cabinet

Carries out the laws Legislative – Congress (Senate & House of

Representatives) Makes the laws

Judicial – Court System Interpret the laws

The legislative branch of the government is bi-cameral. Senate: Each state gets two senators House of Representatives: States get representatives

according to their population

Three Branches of Government

Controversy at the Constitutional Convention

There was controversy over how the slave population would be counted during the Constitutional Convention

Northern states did not think slaves should be counted in the population

Southern states felt slaves should be included in the population count

After much discussion, they came up with the 3/5ths compromise Every five slaves would count as three people toward

population count for representation

Changes to the Constitution

Changes to the constitution are known as amendments

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are called the Bill of Rights

Georgia’s Role

Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

Georgia’s first constitution was written in Savannah, our first capital, in 1777.

The main points of the first Georgia constitution were: Limited power for the governor Counties replaced parishes Unicameral state legislature

Changes in Georgia’s Constitution & Government

In 1785, the capital of Georgia was moved to Augusta.

Georgia’s constitution was rewritten in 1789. The changes to the state constitution made Georgia’s government very similar to the United States government.

Constitution of 1789

Three branches of government to ensure separation of powers Executive Legislative Judicial

The Legislature was now called the General Assembly Bicameral Members were elected by popular vote Legislature selected governor and other state officials

Land Fever in Georgia

In the late 1700s & early 1800s, there were two main ways land was distributed: Headright system – each white male head of

household had the right to receive up to 1000 acres Land Lottery – replaced headright system

People were given a chances to receive land through a lottery if they paid a small fee

Yazoo Land Fraud

Four land companies approached Georgia’s governor and members of the General Assembly to bribe them to allow the companies to buy land at 1 ½ cents per acre.

The land companies turned around and sold the land at a huge profit.

Yazoo Land Fraud

Georgians were angered and voted the legislators involved out of office.

Georgia’s capital was moved to Louisville in 1796 where lawmakers burned all copies of the sales records.

In the end, Georgia had to pay $4 million dollars to resolve the Yazoo land claims.

Yazoo Land Fraud, continued

As a result of the Yazoo land scheme, Georgia ended up losing land when Georgia citizens appealed to the legislature to give land to the federal government.

In 1802, Georgia ceded land west of the Chattahoochee River to the federal government for $1.25 million, making the Chattahoochee River Georgia’s western boundary.

Economics in Georgia (1780s to 1830s)

Two agricultural crops were prominent in Georgia in this time period: Cotton Tobacco

Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which made it easier to remove the seeds from cotton.

The cotton gin increased the demand for slaves because cotton could be processed much faster.

Mechanical Reaper

The invention of the mechanical reaper also helped Georgia’s farms become more productive.

Economics, continued

The development of the railroad made the transportation of crops easier.

In Georgia, most of the railroad track belonged to Western & Atlantic Railroad. Ran from a point near present-day Chattanooga to a

point on the southeastern Chattahoochee River. That point was called “Terminus” which meant “the

end of a railroad line”. Today it is known as Atlanta (after the “Atlantic” in Western & Atlantic Railroad).

Land Lottery Activity

Please wait for further instructions from Mrs. Eby

Land Lottery activity

Fortunate:1. Describe your lot and give the lot number. How do you plan to use

this land?2. Would you prefer another location and why?3. Was this a fair way for the government to distribute land? Explain

your reasons.4. What are the advantages and disadvantages to the lottery system?

Less Fortunate:1. If you were unfortunate, do you plan to try again another time?

Why or why not?2. If you could have chosen a plot of land, which one of the 16 plots

would you choose. Explain your reasons.3. Was this a fair way for the government to distribute land? Why or

why not?4. What are the advantages and disadvantages to the lottery system?