Post-Revolution Georgia and Westward Expansion

1. Post-Revolution Georgia and Westward Expansion September 17, 2012

2. After the Revolution… • Years of hardship and change followed the war in Georgia • The war proved that the state government was not equipped to handle problems • Educational growth was slow • The war ruined the state’s economy • Food was scarce because many farmers had left their farms to fight and no food had been grown during that time

3. Government in Georgia • Georgia had adopted its first constitution in 1777 to help the colony transition into a state • Looked very much like the Articles of Confederation (weak central government) • Governor had very little power • Georgians soon realized that they needed to change their constitution to make it more like the national one • Established 3 branches of government • Lyman Hall was elected governor

4. Georgia’s Capital City • For much of the state’s early history, the capital had rotated between Savannah and Augusta • As the population moved further west, the legislature appointed a commission to find a site for a permanent, centrally located capital

5. Louisville • The new capital, Louisville, was located in what is today Jefferson County • It was named after French King Louis XVI for his help in the Revolutionary War • Louisville served as the capital for 10 years • As people moved farther and farther west, a new capital was needed • In 1804, a new capital, Milledgeville, was built in Baldwin County

6. Education in Georgia • Very few people had any education • Some only had a few years of elementary education • Governor Hall recommended that land be set aside to build schools, but few were built • In 1784, the government set aside 20,000 acres of land for a state college

7. The University of Georgia • In 1785, UGA was chartered as a land-grant university • Land-grant university: a school for which the federal government donated the land • It is the oldest school of its kind in the country • UGA opened for classes in 1801 • It was an all-male, all-white school • Women were not admitted until 1918, black students were not admitted until 1961

8. Religion in Georgia • After the war, many ministers left to return to Great Britain • However, churches continued to grow, both in size and importance to their communities • There were Jewish synagogues, Roman Catholic churches, African Baptist churches, and Methodist churches

9. The spread of Baptist and Methodist churches • These were the two largest denominations in Georgia • Ministers often traveled long distances to conduct church services • Slaves often attended church with their masters • Slavery caused a divide in both churches • Methodists formed the Methodist Episcopal Church • Baptists formed the Southern Baptist Convention

10. Moving West… • After the war, many Georgians developed a huge appetite for land • There were 2 major systems for distributing land in Georgia • Headright system • Land Lottery

11. Headright System • Under the headright system, each white male counted as “head” of a family, so they had the “right” to receive up to 1000 acres of land • This was used from the time of settlement of the colony up until the early 20th century • However, it was largely replaced by land lotteries in 1803

12. Land Lotteries • When land owned by the state or federal government was opened to settlement, Georgia surveyed land lots of different sizes • For a small fee, any white male (over 21 years old) could buy a chance, and on the spin of a wheel, win land • People with children, war veterans, and widows were given extra chances

13. Greed gets out of hand… • In 1795, Georgia’s western boundary extended to the Mississippi River and the Yazoo River • However, both South Carolina and Spain claimed some of that same land • The matter went to court for settlement

14. Yazoo Land Fraud • Before the case got to court, four land companies went to the Georgia legislature and bribed them to pass a bill allowing the land companies to buy the western lands • When the assembly enacted the bill, the companies bought the land for about ½ cent an acre and sold it to the public

15. Public Reaction • When many people learned about this cheap sale, there were protests all over the state • As a result of public pressure, the legislators were voted out of office • The new legislature repealed the law • All records of these sales were burned in public

16. State reaction… • The state offered to refund the money from the land sales • Many people who had bought land, though, didn’t want their money back • They wanted to keep their land • These people sued the state to keep their land • The federal government stepped in and paid over $4 million to settle the Yazoo land claims

17. Aftermath of the Yazoo Land Fraud • The state of Georgia lost a large part of its land and lot of money • When Spain renounced its claim to the area, the Federal government contested Georgia’s claim to the land • In 1802, under public pressure, Georgia gave up its claim to land west of the Chattahoochee River for $1.25 million • The Chattahoochee was now Georgia’s new western boundary • The federal government also promised to help clear all Georgia lands of Native Americans so white settlers could have it

18. Questions… • 1) Why was food scarce in post-Revolution Georgia? • 2) What did Georgia model its state Constitution after? • 3) How long was Louisville the capital of Georgia? • 4) When was UGA chartered? • 5) What is a land-grant university? • 6) Why did the Baptist and Methodist churches split? • 7) What were Georgia’s 2 major systems for distributing land? • 8) Describe the headright system. • 9) Describe land lotteries. • 10) How were land companies able to buy land during the Yazoo Land Fraud? • 11) How did the state react to the Yazoo Land Fraud? • 12) After the Yazoo Land Fraud, Georgia’s western border was which river? • 13) What was promised to Georgia by the federal government that convinced the state to give up its claim to those western lands?