1. Georgia and the American Experience
Chapter 5:
From Royalty to Independence,
Study Presentation
© 2005 Clairmont Press

2. Georgia and the American Experience
Section 1: The Colonial Period
Section 2: Georgia Becomes a Royal Colony
Section 3: The Call for Independence
Section 4: The Revolutionary War Period

3. Section 1: The Colonial Period
Essential Question:
What were the similarities and differences between the three colonial regions in terms of political, economic, and socio-religious development?

4. Section 1: The Colonial Period
What words do I need to know?
New England Colonies
Middle Colonies
Southern Colonies
apprentice
puritans

5. Comparing the Colonies
cold; rugged terrain with rocky soil
milder climate; rich soils
mildest climate; rich soils
small family farms
larger farms; wheat
large plantations; tobacco, rice, silk, indigo
shipbuilding, whaling, fishing, and furniture building
manufacturing, mining, textiles, shipbuilding
casks and barrels from longleaf pine forests

6. Colonial Transportation and Communication
Boats used for shipping and transportation
Stagecoaches were available, but slow mode of transportation
Many old Indian trails were used
Newspapers read in cities; news often old when it arrived in rural areas

7. Education in the Colonies
Schooling took place in home or church; boys were taught practical skills
Girls learned homemaking skills
Apprentices learned specific skills from master craftsmen
First public schools began in New England; only boys attended
Wealthy families in South hired private tutors or had their sons schooled in Europe
Primitive “Old Field Schools” opened for boys from “common” families

8. Religion in Colonial Georgia
Anglican Church, or Church of England, made official church of Georgia colony in 1758
Church attendance expected; shorter sermons and music common
Moravians and Jews also practiced religion in Georgia

9. Leisure Activities in Southern Colonies
Fox hunting, horse races, week-long parties with friends and relatives popular
Food central to large social gatherings
Children’s games: jump rope, hoops, tennis, London bridge, hopscotch, leap frog, yo-yos and puzzles
Storytelling

10. Romance and Marriage Girls often married in their early teens
Courtships took place at dances, church, or during supervised home visits
Weddings were a day-long affair with great celebrations
Some wealthy families arranged marriages for business gain
Husbands were expected to provide; wives could not own property
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11. Section 2: Georgia Becomes A Royal Colony
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What political forces shaped Georgia after it became a royal colony?

12. Section 2: Georgia Becomes a Royal Colony
What words do I need to know?
proprietary colony
royal colony
parish
French and Indian War
palisades
cracker
independence

13. Change in Colonial Government Status
Proprietary Colony: governed by a Board of Trustees
Georgia ceased to be Proprietary Colony in 1752
Royal Colony: colony directly governed by the King
Georgia became a Royal Colony in 1752; some people returned to Georgia who had left the colony while it was proprietary

14. The First Royal Government
Naval Captain John Reynolds, first royal governor, arrived in 1754
Reynolds introduced the idea of self- government
Two-chamber legislature set up: Commons House of Assembly (Lower House) and Governor’s Council (Upper House)
Court of Conscience settled disputes; overseen by justice of the peace
Only people owning 50 or more acres of land could vote

15. North America, 1754 Spain claimed Florida and Mexico
France claimed land from Louisiana to the Great Lakes, and parts of Canada; New Orleans (south) and Detroit (north) anchored French settlements
Great Britain had established the 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast

16. French and Indian War Origins
France and Great Britain wanted the treasures of the American continent
Both countries feared the other would gain the most power
France had the stronger army with more experienced leadership; British had better navy
Both sides had allies with certain Indian tribes

17. The French and Indian War
Both sides claimed the Ohio River Valley area (more than 200,000 square miles)
The French built several forts in the area; many Indians sided with the French
The Virginia governor sent Captain George Washington with soldiers to Fort Necessity (near today’s Pittsburgh); a battle erupted
The war soon spread to Europe; by 1758, the British controlled the Ohio Valley
The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the war

18. Georgia and the War’s Aftermath
Treaty of Paris set Georgia’s western boundary at the Mississippi River
Proclamation of 1763 (King George III): Georgia’s southern boundary set at St. Mary’s River; Georgia colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains
Cherokee and Creek tribes gave up land claims north of Augusta and in the coastal region

19. Georgia’s First Assembly
First met in Savannah in 1755
Passed bills to repair and build roads
Organized a militia
Codes created to limit rights of slaves
Governor Reynolds was replaced in by Captain Henry Ellis

20. Governor Henry Ellis
Believed Savannah was one the world’s hottest places
Colonists immigrated to Georgia from South Carolina and the West Indies
Offered large land grants and slavery increased (3,600 slaves by 1759)
The economy flourished; more farms and goods to buy
In 1761, Ellis became royal governor of Nova Scotia, in Canada

21. Governor James Wright
Wanted to expand Georgia’s western lands to settlers
Completed Savannah’s defenses by strengthening forts and building palisades (fences made of sharpened stakes)
Sunbury became Georgia’s official port of entry
Land purchases increased greatly
More schools established, but for upper class children

22. Georgia Crackers
People from Virginia and the Carolinas settled into middle and western parts of the colony
Plantation owners viewed them as “undesirable people”
Soon, these lower class peoples were called “crackers,” which was meant as an insult
Crackers were not welcome and thought of as ones who did not obey the colony’s laws
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23. Section 3: The Call for Independence
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How was Georgia’s role in the Revolutionary War affected by the attitudes of the colonists?

24. Section 3: The Call for Independence
What words do I need to know?
Tories
Patriots
Boycotts
Proclamation of 1763
Liberty Boys
Acts (Sugar, Stamp, Townsend, Quartering)

25. Unhappy with British Acts
Great Britain needed money; much debt and security expenses resulted from the French and Indian War
Sugar Act: tax on sugar and molasses imported from the West Indies
Stamp Act: tax on newspapers, legal documents, and licenses
Georgians disapproved of these acts

26. The Liberty Boys Georgians who came together to oppose the Stamp Act
Part of larger group, the “Sons of Liberty”
Some called them “Liberty Brawlers”
Met in taverns, such as Savannah’s Tondee’s Tavern
Georgia only colony to actually sell the stamps
Stamp Act was eventually repealed

27. Protests Increase
Noble Wimberly Jones, speaker of Georgia colonial assembly, led Townshend Act protests
Townshend Acts: placed import taxes on tea, paper, glass, and coloring for paints
Governor Wright disbanded the assembly to try to end the protests

28. Continental Congress
Met in Philadelphia in September 1774 to protest “Intolerable Acts” levied against the Massachusetts colonists
Georgia was not represented
Urged colonies to establish “Committees of Safety”
Agreed to stop all trade with Britain
Carried on its work in secret
“Provincial Congress” held in Savannah in January 1775; less than one-half of Georgia’s parishes were represented
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29. Section 4: The Revolutionary War Period
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Why was there an American Revolution?

30. Section 4: The American Revolution
What words do I need to know?
Second Continental Congress
Declaration of Independence
ratify
Articles of Confederation
siege
Treaty of Paris (1783)

31. Second Continental Congress
Met in Philadelphia after Lexington and Concord battles
Drafted petition for King George III, asking for end of unfriendly steps against the colonies
Georgia III refused to accept the petition
Authorized Continental Army
Georgia’s Lyman Hall arrived in May 1775

32. Georgia’s Second Provincial Congress
Held at Tondee’s Tavern in Savannah in July 1775
Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, Noble Wimberly Jones, and Reverend John Zubly chosen to represent Georgia in Philadelphia
Delegates given no specific instructions; told to make best decisions for Georgians
Governor Wright fled colony in early 1776; Council of Safety established “Rules and Regulations” to govern Georgia

33. Declaration of Independence
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” pamphlet encourage colonies to break from Great Britain; sold more than 500,000 copies
Other pamphlets, including “The Crisis” influenced opinion
August 2, 1776: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton sign the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration meant the colonists were one nation; Georgians prepared for war

34. Georgia’s First State Constitution
About one-third of Georgians remained loyal to Great Britain; they were called Tories
The Whigs influenced a state constitution allowing separation of powers and giving citizens rights to agree how they were governed
May 1777: Constitution adopted at Constitutional Convention in Savannah
Eight counties formed: Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Richmond, Wilkes, and Liberty

35. The 1777 Georgia Constitution
The governor’s power was limited
Executive Council (12 legislators) held greatest power
Council could overrule the governor’s decisions
John Treutlen appointed Georgia’s first governor
Georgia’s 1777 Constitution changed in 1789

36. The Articles of Confederation
First Constitution of the United States of America
Ratified (approved) on July 4, 1776
Went into effect in January 1781, when ratified by Maryland and Virginia

37. Revolutionary War Fighting in Georgia
Savannah captured and looted by British troops in December 1778; lootings, murders, and burnings occurred
Sunbury port captured in early 1779; Augusta was also attacked
Georgia militia not effective against well- trained British troops
Governor Wright eventually returned from Great Britain to govern Georgia

38. Battle of Kettle Creek (1779)
Colonel Elijah Clarke led Georgia militia, defeated 800 British troops near Washington, Georgia
Great victory for morale of the militia and Georgians seeking independence
Won badly-needed weapons and horses from the British

39. Siege of Savannah (1779)
15,000 Americans and 4,000 French laid siege to Savannah
Attack on October 9 resulted in 1,000 American and French deaths in less than an hour; only 40 British troops died
Polish Count Casimir Pulaski killed
Savannah remained under British control for nearly four more years
Guerrilla warfare continued in the Georgia backcountry

40. Georgia Wartime Heroes
Nancy Hart single-handedly captured a group of British loyalists who bragged of murdering an American colonel; Hart County is the only county named for a woman
Austin Dabney fought with distinction and was wounded at Kettle Creek; he also saved Elijah Clarke’s life during that battle

41. The War Ends
Elijah Clarke, the Georgia Militia,and the Continental Army regain Augusta from British in June 1781; 11 battles or skirmishes fought in Georgia during the war
George Washington, with French help, force British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781
British leave Savannah in the spring of 1782
Treaty of Paris (September 1783) ends war; treaty is signed by United States, Great Britain, and France
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