 Land Policies

 Land speculator: someone who buys property expecting that its value will increase and it will be sold at a profit  bribe: money paid to someone to get her or him to do something  cede: to surrender ownership to land

 After the Revolutionary War, Georgia gained access to a large amount of land from the Native Americans who sided with the British.  The land Georgia claimed stretched all the way to Mississippi River.  The Revolutionary War veterans believed that all citizens had the right to land ownership. o Georgia’s political leadership agreed. o The question became what was the best way to allocate the land to the people of the state.

 The first approach to allocate the land was called the headright system. All land east of the Oconee was distributed using the Headright System. o Georgia gave thousands of acres to Revolutionary War veterans. (ex. Austin Dabney) o Heads of households (white men over the age of 21) began with 200 acres and had the “right” to receive up to 1,000 acres, depending on whether they had a family or slaves. o 50 acres for each family member, 10 acres for each slave  This system ended when there were too many claimants and not enough land. It lasted until 1803.

 The lure of money led the government to corruption.  The 1,000 acres limit was not adhered to. o They granted more land than existed to land speculators who hoped to make a large profit later. o This practice is known as “land fraud.”

 Other land speculators wanted the vast amount of territory that is Alabama and Mississippi. o Speculators in four companies bribed legislators to pass a bill that sold them huge tracks of land in the Yazoo area (currently Alabama and Mississippi) for a really cheap price. o This came to be known as the Yazoo Land Fraud. o When the citizens found out, they were furious!

 The citizens burned the Yazoo Act on the steps of the capitol in Louisville.  The act was repealed in 1796.

 The federal government paid more than $4 million to help Georgia settle Yazoo land claims.  In 1802, Georgia ceded (gave up) its land claims west of the Chattahoochee River to the federal government for $1.25 million

 The Yazoo Land Fraud changed the way that land was granted in Georgia.  The final approach Georgia used for land allocation was the land lottery system.  All land west of the Oconee river was distributed using the Land Lottery o It gave people an equal chance to the land. o Every free white male who lived in Georgia for a year was given one chance. o A man with a family was given two chances. o A widow with children was given two chances. o Land was distributed in 160 acres or 80 to 40 acres for a gold lot.

 During the 1832 Lottery alone, some 85,000 people competed for 18,309 land lots to be given away, and at least 133,000 people competed for 35,000 gold belt lots to be given away.

1. Headright system 2. Land speculator 3. Yazoo land fraud 4. Land fraud 5. Land lottery 6. Yazoo area A. Dishonest selling of land B. Land that is Alabama and Mississippi C. Speculators bribed legislators to get land cheap D. Granted no more than 1,000 acres per family E. Land awarded by chance F. One who buys land to sell it for profit