Georgia in the Revolutionary War

1. Georgia in the Revolutionary War September 10, 2012

2. Remember… • When the Revolutionary War started in 1775, many in Georgia were apprehensive • Georgia was still very young and dependent on Britain for financial assistance • When the Declaration of Independence was sent to Georgia to be read, excitement grew and war preparations started • It was signed by 3 Georgians: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton • However, it was many years before the war actually reached Georgia

3. The Battle of Kettle Creek • Even in 1779, many people in Georgia still claimed to be Loyalists to Britain • In February 1779, a rebel Patriot group attacked about 800 British soldiers at Kettle Creek, near Washington, Ga. • They were led by Colonel Elijah Clarke • The Patriots defeated the British, and even though it was a minor victory, it lifted the spirits of Georgia soldiers and allowed the Patriots to take much needed supplies and weapons from the defeated British soldiers

4. The Battle of Kettle Creek Elijah Clarke

5. Austin Dabney • Part of Colonel Clarke’s militia group at Kettle Creek • He was a freeborn mulatto (mixed white and black) • He fought bravely and was wounded • After the war, when veterans were given plots of land as part of their military payment, many did not want him to receive his payment because he was part black • He was eventually given his land and turned it into a profitable farm

6. The Siege of Savannah • In December 1778, British forces took control of Savannah • In September 1779, American and French forces arrived to fight to get Savannah back • On October 9, they attacked, but failed • Savannah would remain in British control for 3 ½ more years until the end of the war

7. Nancy Hart • Nancy Hart’s neighbor was killed by Loyalists • When those Loyalists showed up at Nancy’s, they demanded she feed them • She gave them whiskey to drink, which impaired their senses • She told her daughters to run for help • She stole their rifles, and killed one of the soldiers • When help arrived, the soldiers were taken into custody • They were eventually tried and hanged for the murder of Nancy Hart’s neighbor

8. The End of the War • The last major land battle of the war was fought on October 9, 1781 in Yorktown, Virginia • With help from the French, George Washington and his troops caused the surrender of the British Army • This surrender prompted the British government to start negotiating an end to the war

9. A New Government • With the end of the Revolution in 1783, America was now officially under its own control • The new country wanted a government vastly different from Great Britain’s • In 1781, the Articles of Confederation were approved, which deliberately established a weak central government in order to give the individual states more power

10. Problems in the new country • The Articles of Confederation had many problems • Each state only had one vote in Congress • There was no chief executive (president) • The government did not have the power to regulate trade between the states or with foreign countries • Each state had its own currency • The British began moving back in and reoccupied some territory north of the Ohio River and the new government could not stop them

11. Revising the Articles of Confederation • George Washington and others knew that the Articles would have to be rewritten or the new country would fail • A Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles • They needed to make the national government stronger • They eventually wrote The Constitution of the United States of America • On September 28, 1787, they approved it and sent it to the states for ratification

12. Georgia’s role in the Constitution • In 1787, William Pierce, William Few, Abraham Baldwin, and William Houston went to Philadelphia to participate in the Constitutional Convention • Only Few and Baldwin stayed until the end to sign the new Constitution

13. Reasons why Georgia ratified the new Constitution • Georgia supported the new Constitution for 2 big reasons • First: Georgia needed a strong national government to help protect the state from the threat of Indians • Second: They need the government’s help to acquire land from the Indians so the state could expand • On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the 4th colony to ratify the U.S. Constitution and become the 4th state in the new United States of America

14. Questions: • 1) Why was Georgia apprehensive about the Revolution? • 2) Who were Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence? • 3) Who won the Battle of Kettle Creek? • 4) Who led the Patriot soldiers at the Battle of Kettle Creek? • 5) Who was Austin Dabney? • 6) When was the Siege of Savannah? • 7) Who controlled Savannah after the siege? • 8) Who was Nancy Hart? • 9) Where was the last major land battle of the Revolution fought? • 10) What document was written and approved in 1781? • 11) Why did the Articles of Confederation purposely establish a weak central government? • 12) List the 4 main problems with the Articles of Confederation

15. More Questions… • 13) What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention meeting in 1787? • 14) What document was written at the Constitutional Convention of 1787? • 15) Who were Georgia’s signers of the U.S. Constitution? • 16) What were Georgia’s reasons for ratifying the Constitution? • 17) Georgia was the _____ state to ratify the Constitution.