Unit 4 Vocab – Westward Expansion

University of Georgia The first state sponsored public University in the United States; founded in 1785

Morrill Act of 1862 Provided federal money to colleges identified as “land grant universities” throughout the United States

S.A.L.M.A. An acronym for the capitals of Georgia: Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville, and Atlanta.

Terminus An early name for the city of Atlanta; in 1837, this was the site where the end of the Western and Atlantic Railroad “terminated,” hence the name Terminus.

Creek Indians American Indian tribe that lived in Southern Georgia; was removed from the state through treaties in the 1820’s.

Headright System Land allocation approach that provided the head of a family up to 200 acres of free land in the Georgia frontier.

Land Lottery Land allocation approach that gave the average Georgian a chance to buy land at pennies on the dollar.

Yazoo Act (1795) Georgia Act signed by Georgia Governor George Mathews that transferred 35 million acres of land in present day Alabama to four land companies for $500,000; this led to the Yazoo Land Fraud.

Yazoo Land Fraud An event where land companies bribed members of the Georgia General Assembly to sell land for pennies on the dollar.

Cotton Gin A machine that would separate cotton from the seeds. It revolutionized the farming of cotton.

Railroad One of the major technological advances in the 19th century. Georgia was one of the leaders in railroad development in the 1830’s and many of Georgia’s towns and cities were established due to the railroad.

Eli Whitney Created an early cotton gin that separated the cotton seeds from the cotton lint.

Battle of Horse Shoe Bend (March 27, 1814) Battle between the U.S. and its Indian allies against the Read Creek Creeks; last battle of the Creek War.

William McIntosh (1778-1825) Creek chief who illegally signed the Second Treaty of Indian Springs; was murdered by his tribesmen for this action.

Red Stick War (1813-1814) A Creek Indian civil war between the Read Stick and White Stick factions of the tribe.

Second Treaty of Indian Springs Treaty signed by William McIntosh that gave the remainder of Creek land to Georgia; McIntosh was killed for this act.

Treaty of Indian Springs An 1821 treaty signed by the Creek Indians and the United States that forced the Creek Nation to cede all of its land east of the Flint River in Georgia.

White Sticks Creek Indians during the Red Stick War who were loyal to the United States

Cherokee Indians Native American tribe that lived in northwestern Georgia; forcefully removed from the state in the early 1830’s.

Dahlonega Gold Rush Site of America’s first gold rush in 1828; discovery of gold in the area was a factor in the Cherokee removal.

Federal Road A road that ran through Cherokee territory which connected eastern and western Georgia.

Indian Removal Act of 1830 Act signed into law by Andrew Jackson that required the removal of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole to Indian Territory.

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845 Seventh president of the United States who was an advocate of Indian Removal.

John Marshall (1755-1835) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who ruled in favor of the Cherokee in the Worcester vs Georgia case; President Jackson refused to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Nullification Crisis A national emergency in 1832 when South Carolina attempted to make null and void the National Tariff of 1832

John Ross (1790-1866) Principal Chief of the Cherokee Indians who tried to use legal means to fight against removal.

Trail of Tears Final removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia in 1838; over 4,000 people died on the force march from Georgia to Oklahoma.

Treaty of New Echota A Treaty (1835) between the U.S. Government and a minority representation of the Cherokee tribe that ceded all Cherokee land in the South east to the U. S. and allowed for their move to Indian terito (Oklahoma)

Worcester vs Georgia (1832) Landmark Supreme Court case which declared that the Cherokee were sovereign and not subject to the laws of the U.S. Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the Court’s decision and the Cherokee were later removed from Georgia.

Louisville Named after French King Louis XVI for his assistance during the American Revolution, was Georgia’s third capital.

Milledgeville Was named after governor John Milledge. It was the state capital for sixty years.

Atlanta The final state capital.

Savannah Served as the colonial “capital” of Geogia.