Introduction
The history of Georgia is an interesting one. Of course the first people in Georgia were the Native Americans who were in Georgia when the Egyptians were building the pyramids! Several Spanish explorers including Hernando de Sota were in Georgia as early as 1540.
In 1732 Georgia was formally recognized as a British Colony and was founded by James Oglethorpe who envisioned the colony as a refuge for the debtors who were in London prisons even though the original Georgia colonists did not include any debtors. The colonial period also saw the secession of lands by the creek Indians, and the revolutionary war.
The Civil War was a major event in the history of Georgia and several battles were fought in the state including Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, and ShermanÃs March to the Sea. After the Civil War Georgia rebuilt itself and become known as the Empire State of the South.
The 20th Century saw several developments in Georgia's history including the Civil Rights movement, and the election of Jimmy Carter to the presidency of the United States.
Activities
Chief William McIntosh and the Creek Indians
In this activity you will learn about Chief William McIntosh was a controversial chief of the Lower Creeks in early-nineteenth-century Georgia. His general support of the United States and its efforts to obtain Creek territory alienated him from many Creeks. He supported General Andrew Jackson in the Creek War of 1813-14, also known as the Red Stick War and part of the larger War of 1812 conflict (1812-15). His participation in the drafting and signing of the Treaty of Indian Springs of 1825 led to his execution by a band of Upper Creeks led by Chief Menawa.
In this activity you will learn about one of Georgia's worst political scandals- the Yazoo Land Fraud. At that time, Georgia's legal boundary extended west to the Mississippi River. Many state leaders wanted to open this area to settlement, but Creeks, Cherokees, and other Native Americans lived there. If they could be persuaded to leave, then whites could settle the large expanse of land, greatly increasing Georgia's population, and bringing profit to those who sold the land. This event was not only was a scandal but it changed the borders of the state of Georgia forever.