1. EQ: How did Georgia change as a state?
PT: How would a larger population increase Georgia’s strength in the national government?

2. What was Georgia’s western boundary in 1732?
What was Georgia’s western boundary at the end of the French and Indian War?

3. Write
Was this…
Mississippi River
Now this!
GA Western Boundary: 1770s

4. Georgia’s Land Area Expands
GB created GA’s boundaries to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean
After - French & Indian War Mississippi River became new western boundary
Creeks, Cherokees and other Native Americans inhabited most land
Creeks and Cherokees gave more than 2 million acres of land in the backcountry to pay off debt to white traders

5. Distributing Public Land
sell new land for revenue for schools, roads and public services/ give the land away to encourage population growth
land distributed under headright system-head entitled 200 acres of unclaimed land - 50 acres every family member, indentured servant, & slave
plats (drawings of land) drawn in irregular shapes

6. Georgia’s Capital Moves
Since it’s founding, Savannah served as Georgia’s capital.
Population growth in backcountry, Augusta became state capital.
1786, Capital at Louisville on Ogeechee River.
Decade later, capital moved to Oconee Rivera at Milledgeville.

7. Yazoo Land Fraud
Westward expansion by white settlers, land occupied by the Creeks, Cherokees and other tribes.
If Native Americans persuaded to leave, land rush follow with population growth.
Land Speculators-meant big profits,buy land cheap, hold it /sell it at a higher price.
Legal practice, but public officials were doing it.
Public was not benefiting

8. 1795, four private land companies persuaded General Assembly to pass law to buy land less than 2 cents and acre. Officials sold this land to public.
Millions acres sold to innocent citizens wanting to come to frontier territories
Georgians outraged, dishonest legislators fled for life.
New legislature met at statehouse in Louisville to repeal (abolish) the law authorizing the Yazoo Land Sale.

9. Legislature provided for refunding the money, but many buyers weren’t willing to give up that easy.
Issue took years to resolve, eventually ended in U.S. Supreme Court.
Yazoo Land Fraud finally ended in 1814, when federal government took over the contested territory and paid off the remaining Yazoo claims.