Post-Revolution Georgia and Westward Expansion

1. Post-Revolution Georgia and Westward Expansion September 16, 2013

2. After the Revolution… • Years of ________ and _______ followed the war in Georgia • The war proved that the state ______________ was not equipped to handle _________ • ____________ growth was ____ • The war ______ the state’s ___________ • Food was ______ because many _________ had left their farms to _____ and no food had been _______ during that time

3. Government in Georgia • Georgia had adopted its first ____________ in ______ to help the colony __________ into a state • Looked very much like the _____________________ (weak __________ government) • _________ had very ______ power • Georgians soon realized that they needed to ________ their constitution to make it more like the ________ one • Established ____ branches of government • ____________ was elected ___________

4. Georgia’s Capital City • For much of the state’s early history, the _______ had rotated between _________ and _________ • As the population moved further _______, the __________ appointed a commission to find a site for a permanent, _______________ capital

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

6. Education in Georgia • Very ___ people had any __________ • Some only had a few years of ____________ education • Governor Hall recommended that land be set aside to build _______, but ___ were built • In _____, the government set aside 20,000 acres of land for a state ________

7. The University of Georgia • In ____, _____ was chartered as a land-grant university • _____________________: a school for which the ____________________ donated the _____ • It is the _______ 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 __________ left to return to Great Britain • However, churches continued to _____, both in size and importance to their communities • There were ________ synagogues, ______________ churches, __________________ churches, and __________ churches

9. The spread of Baptist and Methodist churches • These were the two __________ denominations in Georgia • Ministers often _________ long distances to conduct church services • _______ often attended church with their masters • _________ caused a _______ 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 _____ • There were ___ major systems for distributing land in Georgia

11. Headright System • Under the __________ system, each ______ male counted as _______ of a family, so they had the ______ to receive up to ______ acres of land • This was used from the time of ____________ of the colony up until the early 20th century • However, it was largely replaced by ______________ in _____

12. Land Lotteries • When land owned by the ______________ government was opened to ____________, Georgia surveyed land lots of different sizes • For a small ____, any ______ male (over 21 years old) could _____ a chance, and on the spin of a wheel, ____ land • People with children, war veterans, and widows were given extra chances

13. Greed gets out of hand… • In ______, Georgia’s western boundary extended to the ____________ River and the _______ River • However, both ________________ and _______ claimed some of that same land • The matter went to ______ for settlement

14. Yazoo Land Fraud • Before the case got to court, four _________________ went to the Georgia ___________ and _______ them to pass a bill allowing the land companies to _____ the western lands • When the assembly enacted the bill, the companies bought the land for about _______ an acre and _____ it to the public

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

16. State reaction… • The state offered to _______ the money from the land sales • Many people who had bought land, though, didn’t ______ their money back • They wanted to ______ their land • These people ______ the state to keep their land • The _________________ stepped in and paid over _________ to settle the Yazoo land claims

17. Aftermath of the Yazoo Land Fraud • The state of Georgia _____ a large part of its ____ and lot of ________ • When Spain ____________ its claim to the area, the __________ government __________ Georgia’s claim to the land • In _____, under public pressure, Georgia ___________ its claim to land ______ of the ______________ River for $1.25 million • The _______________ was now Georgia’s new ________ boundary • The federal government also promised to help clear all Georgia lands of __________________ 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?