The Development of the State of Georgia 1789-1840

Introduction (#7e8c8d)

After the American Revolutionary War and the establishment of the United States Constitution, Georgia experienced tremendous growth and prosperity, along with the majority of the United States. The pursuit of land ownership drove many new Americans into the frontier. Settlers poured into the state of Georgia where families were promised up to 1,000 acres of land. The economic prosperity of Georgia grew rapidly thanks to the invention of the cotton gin and the establishment of railroads throughout the region. During this important period the University of Georgia became a prominent educational facility in the state, established by the Georgia government. While prosperity boomed for white Georgians, gloom laid ahead for the Creek and Cherokee Indians. The growth of Georgia ultimately led to the displacement of Native Americans because of legislation passed and the indigenous people began the journey known as the “Trail of Tears”.

Watch the video below to learn more about this time period.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Significant Georgia Establishments: Learn about the origins of the University of Georgia, some religions in Georgia and more!

Land Policies: Discover how land grants and land lotteries impacted the development of Georgia.

Early Technological Developments: Learn about the Cotton Gin, Mechanical Reaper, and the expansion of the Railroads in this lesson. You'll also see how each of these items had a major impact on the state.

The Removal of the Creeks and Cherokees From Georgia: Two key groups of Native Americans called Georgia home: Creeks and Cherokees. The removal of both groups had similar characteristics...learn about each in this lesson.

Key Terms

Headright system - granted no more than 1,000 acres per family
Land speculator - anyone who buys land and sells it for a profit
Land fraud - dishonest selling of land
Land lottery - land awarded by chance
Nullify - to declare invalid

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS