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Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, Augusta, Columbus, Marietta, Athens, Albany, Decatur, Valdosta, Aiken, Beaufort, Norcross, Alpharetta, Brunswick, Duluth, Gainesville, Lawrenceville, Rome, Warner Robins, Carrollton, Douglasville, Hilton Head Island, Jesup, Newnan, Statesboro, Stone Mountain, Thomasville, Buford, Commerce
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Cherokee and
Creek Indians lived in Georgia when Hernando de Soto, the
Spanish explorer, first traveled parts of Georgia in 1540.
By 1566, forts were built along the Atlantic coast,
including the first in Georgia on St. Catherine's Island.
However, no permanent settlements were established.
In 1732, English King George II granted a charter for the
last of the 13th colony in America. There were originally
twenty one trustees named in the 1732 charter "The Trustees
for Establishing the Colony of Georgia". Over the period of
the trusteeship (1732-1755), fifty more were added. For an
alphabetical listing of all the trustees, click here. For
more detailed information on the institutional organization
and development of the province, please see Georgia as a
Proprietary Province: The Execution of a Trust by James Ross
McCain (Boston: Richard G. Badger, 1917).
After obtaining a royal charter, Gen. James Oglethorpe
established the first permanent settlement in Georgia in
1733 as a refuge for English debtors. In 1732, English King
George II granted Gen. James Oglethorpe a charter for the
13th colony in America. Colonists arrived in Georgia and
founded Savannah on Feb. 12, 1733 as a refuge for English
debtors. In 1742, Oglethorpe defeated Spanish invaders in
the Battle of Bloody Marsh.
After the Revolutionary War began in 1775, Georgians joined
in the fight for freedom. English troops captured Savannah
and by the end of 1779 had control of almost all of Georgia,
until 1782. Georgia ratified the U.S. Constitution and
became a state on Jan. 2, 1788.
Georgia's population grew steadily from 1733, reaching
around 40,000 people in 1776. [Source: Coleman, Kenneth. A
History of Georgia. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press,
1991, p. 54]
The last statement in the Declaration of Independence,
signed on July 4, 1776, is "these United Colonies are...Free
and Independent States." At that time, however, the word
"state" was equivalent to the word "nation". Later, on
January 2, 1788, Georgia ratified the Federal constitution,
and thus became the fourth state in the new nation of the
United States of America. Georgia was also the third state
to ratify the Federal constitution unanimously. [Source: The
Georgia Studies Book: Our State and Nation (Athens, Ga.:
Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998) and The Georgia
Official and Statistical Register.]
Georgia didn't actually have counties until 1777. Georgia
was originally divided into districts and towns from 1732 to
1758. From 1758 to 1777, Georgia was divided into twelve
parishes. These twelve parishes became the original seven
counties of Georgia, which include: Burke (St. George
Parish), Camden (St. Thomas and St. Mary Parish), Chatham
(St. Phillips and Christ Church Parish), Effingham (St.
Matthew and St. Phillip Parish), Glynn (St. David and St.
Patrick Parish), Liberty (St. John, St. Andrew, and St.
James Parish), and Richmond (St. Paul Parish). Wilkes County
was the eighth county created on February 5, 1777 in the
Georgia Constitution; however, it was originally created on
June 1, 1773 from the Treaty of Augusta, when Cherokee and
Creek Indians ceded the land. [Source: Bryant, Pat. Georgia
Counties: Their Changing Boundaries. Atlanta: State Printing
Office, 1983.
Between 1790 and 1830 the population of Georgia increased
six-fold. The western push of the settlers created a
problem. Georgians continued to take Native American lands
and force them into the frontier. By 1825 the Lower Creek
had been completely removed from the state under provisions
of the Treaty of Indian Springs. By 1827 the Creek were
gone. By 1840, railroads expanded through the area and
settlers quickly came to develop the land.
The invention of the cotton gin allowed cotton to became a
major industry in Georgia. Slave labor was an important part
of these huge cotton plantations. By 1860, many in the North
wanted to abolish slavery. Shortly after Abraham Lincoln
became president of the United States, Georgia withdrew from
the Union and joined the Confederacy in 1861.
A Confederate stronghold, Georgia was the scene of extensive
military action during the Civil War. The Confederate Army
won the first big battle in Georgia at Chickamauga Creek in
1863. However, union General William T. Sherman burned
Atlanta and destroyed a 60-mile-wide path to the coast,
where he captured Savannah in 1864.
The largest state east of the Mississippi with almost $100
million in damage, Georgia lay in ruins.
During Reconstruction, Georgia was under military rule. The
state constitution was rewritten, allowing blacks the right
to vote. Georgians had to rebuild their cities and farms. On
July 15, 1870, Georgia was permanently readmitted to the
Union with Atlanta as the state capital.
The early 1900s brought much industrial growth. Cotton
continued to be grown, but production of corn, peaches,
pecans, and tobacco increased. Boll weevils destroyed much
of the cotton during the 1920s. The Great Depression
(1929-1939) also caused many to lose their jobs and their
land as factories closed and prices for crops fell. The
federal government tried to help in 1933 constructing roads
and housing. Other programs helped farmers to keep their
land.
In the Georgia House of Representatives, Viola Ross Napier
of Bibb County was the first woman to take the oath of
office in 1923, and served until 1926. She ran in the first
election in which women were allowed to vote. Before running
for office, she also became the first woman lawyer to argue
a case before the Georgia Court of Appeals and was the first
to argue before the Georgia Supreme Court. Additionally,
Bessie Kempton Crowell of Fulton County served from
1923-1931.
In the United States Senate, Rebecca Ann Latimer Felton
(Bartow Co., Democrat), a prominent women's rights advocate,
was appointed to the United States Senate and served in
1922. She was the first woman from any state in the Union to
serve in the U.S. Senate. However, she was not elected to
succeed her husband. She was appointed by Governor Thomas W.
Hardwick to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Thomas
E. Watson. Even though she only held office for a short
time, she has earned the distinction of the first woman
Senator. [Source: Coleman, Kenneth. A History of Georgia.
2nd ed. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1991.] See:
United States Congress: Georgia Women.
Manufacturing increased during World War II (1939-1945),
helping the economy to recover. Many Georgians moved to the
cities to work factories in the defense industry. After the
war, industries continued to expand as several businesses
moved into the state.
In the United States House of Representatives, Florence
Reville Gibbs of Wayne County was appointed to fill the
unexpired term of her husband in 1940. She did not seek
reelection. The next woman Representative was Helen Douglas
Mankin of Fulton County. She was elected to fill the
unexpired term of Robert Ramspeck in 1946, and was an
unsuccessful candidate for reelection. Previously, she had
served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1937-46.
Iris Faircloth Blitch of Clinch County was a successful
candidate, however, and served from 1955-63. She also had
served in the Georgia General Assembly, both in the Senate
(1947-48, 1953-54) and in the House (1949-50). The first
African-American woman serving in the U.S. House
representing Georgia is Cynthia McKinney, who began her term
in 1993. Please see: United States Congress: Georgia Women.
Georgia had serious racial issues during the 1950s. In 1954,
the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation to be illegal in
public schools. In 1961, integration began in some schools
in Georgia. However in 1969, the U.S. Department of Justice
had to file a suit against the state requesting complete
integration of public schools. Restaurants and other public
places were required to change, but many chose to close
rather than integrate.
In 1965, Grace Towns Hamilton of Fulton County became the
first African-American woman to serve in the Georgia House.
One of Atlanta's most prominent activists, she served until
1984. In the 1999-2000 term, there are 36 women members of
the Georgia House. Please see: Georgia General Assembly:
Women in the House of Representatives.
In January, 1977, Georgia sent its first President to the
White House—Jimmy Carter of Plains, a former Georgia
governor.
Cathy Cox was elected Secretary of State on November 3,1998,
and became the first female to serve in any of these
offices.
In the 1999-2000 term, there are 11 African-American members
of the Georgia Senate, and 33 African-American members of
the Georgia House of Representatives. Please also see:
*
African-Americans in the Georgia State Senate
*
African-Americans in the Georgia House of Representatives
Recently, new industries are continuing to expand in
Georgia. State legislation is being passed to help
education. The state is also trying to solve problems with
overpopulation and pollution.
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