Growth & Expansion Teacher Notes
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
One Stop Shop For Educators Constitution of 1777 and the Articles legislative branch, and only served a one year term. Under the Articles of of Confederation and explain how Confederation, the national government had no executive branch at all. In 5-7 weaknesses in the Articles of sentences, describe two other similarities between the Georgia Constitution on 1777 Confederation led to a need to revise and the Articles of Confederation. Make sure to explain if you think these similarities the Articles. were strengths or weaknesses and why. SS8H5 The student will explain significant factors that affected the development of Georgia as part of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840. Though it began as the smallest and poorest colony, after the American Revolution, Georgia quickly expanded. This was due to several factors including the invention of the cotton gin and railroads and the land cessions and forced removal of Native American tribes. During this time period, Georgia established the first state supported public University while at the same time being involved in one of the most infamous examples of government corruption in history. The intent of this standard is for students to learn about the people and events that led to the establishment of the University of Georgia, Louisville, and the spread of the Baptist and Methodist Churches throughout the state. Students must also evaluate the land allocation policies that Georgia incorporated after the Revolution, and explain how the invention of the cotton gin and railroads impacted the growth of Georgia. Finally, students must analyze the people and events that led to one of the most tragic episodes in Georgia’s and the nation’s history, the Indian Removal and Trail of Tears. The University of Georgia a. Explain the establishment of the The University of Georgia (UGA) was established on January 27, 1785, when Georgia’s General University of Georgia, Louisville, Assembly approved the charter. UGA is America’s first publically supported institute of higher learning. The future signer of the U.S. Constitution, Abraham Baldwin, was chosen by Governor and the spread of Baptist and Lyman Hall (a singer of the Declaration of Independence) to draft the charter for the University. Methodist churches. Baldwin was president of the University from 1785 until 1801. Unfortunately, many other events in the state caused UGA to exist on paper only. The University finally opened its doors to students in September, 1801. The University’s first permanent building, Franklin College, did not open until 1806. For many years, the University had only one college (the College of Arts and Science) and struggled with financial difficulties. Nevertheless, many important Georgia political and business leaders graduated from UGA during this time period. After the Civil War, the University was designated as a “land grant institution” under the Morill Act of 1872 and expanded its size and academic reputation dramatically over the next 130 years. Note: Though the University of Georgia was the first public university to be chartered, the University of North Carolina actually held classes first. Today there is a spirited debate between the two institutions about which one is actually the Nation’s first state sponsored University. For more information about the establishment of the University of Georgia see: New Georgia Encyclopedia: “University of Georgia” http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1059&hl=y, New Georgia Encyclopedia: “Abraham Baldwin” http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2710 Louisville Louisville was Georgia’s third state capital following Savannah and Augusta. The city, named after French King Louis XVI for his support during the American Revolution, was the capital from 1796- 1807. Located in Jefferson County, Louisville was selected as the capital due to, what at the time was its location as the center of Georgia population. This was driven by the state’s westward expansion. The state’s legislators hoped that the town would also serve as a trading center due to its location on the Ogeechee River. Once it was established, Louisville developed both socially and financially. However, Louisville’s time as capital ended in 1807 due several factors including the malaria outbreaks the occurred in the city every year, the difficulty of using the Ogeechee River as a Georgia Department of Education Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE EIGHT TEACHER NOTES REVISED 10/16/2012 Page 22 of 144 Copyright 2012 © All Rights Reserved One Stop Shop For Educators trade route, and most importantly, the continual Northwestern movement of Georgia’s population. Note: One of the most famous events in the city was when the state legislators publically set fire to the Yazoo Land Act with a magnifying glass. Note: Georgia’s Louisville is not pronounced the same as the Louisville in Kentucky. In Georgia, it sounds like the name “Lewis.” In the same way most Americans pronounce St. Louis, Missouri. Note: The primary reason that students should know about Louisville is it illustrates Georgia’s population growth and movement from the coast to the Northwestern part of the state. Note: An easy way for students to remember the name of all of Georgia’s capital cities is to teach them the acronym S.A.L.M.A. which stands for Savannah, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville, and Atlanta. For more information about Louisville, the former capital of Georgia see: New Georgia Encyclopedia: “Louisville” http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2762&hl=y The Spread of the Methodist and Baptist Church Though the founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley, preached in colonial Georgia, Georgians did not begin identifying themselves with the denomination until the Second Great Awakening (1790-1830). During the same time period, the Baptist Church also dramatically increased its numbers as well. By the 1830’s, these denominations became the largest in the state. Both churches gained popularity amongst working class Georgians in the frontier and small towns of the state. In addition, due to these denominations’ mission work on plantations, many slaves converted to either the Baptist or Methodist churches. Both the Baptists and Methodists used revivals and camp meetings to help increase their membership. These meeting were all day affairs where famers and other townspeople could listen to the sermon but also get together and socialize with their friends and family after weeks of laboring on their farms. The Methodist church also incorporated the use of circuit riders, ministers who would ride from small town to small town and preach. These circuit riders were instrumental in bringing new converts to the church. For more information about the spread of the Baptist and Methodist churches in Georgia see: New Georgia Encyclopedia: “Baptists: Overview ” http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2923, New Georgia Encyclopedia: “Viewpoints: Georgia Baptist History ” http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3274, New Georgia Encyclopedia: “Methodist Church: Overview ” http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3159&hl=y, New Georgia Encyclopedia: “Revivals and Camp Meetings ” http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-759 Land Policies: The Headright System, Land Lotteries, and the Yazoo Land Fraud b. Evaluate the impact of land After the Revolutionary War, Georgia gained access to a large amount of land from the Native policies pursued by Georgia; Americans who sided with the British. The land Georgia claimed stretched all the way to the include the headright system, land Mississippi River. In turn, Revolutionary War veterans, amongst others, believed that all citizens had the right to land ownership. Due to the ideas espoused by the Declaration of Independence, lotteries, and the Yazoo land fraud. Georgia’s political leadership agreed. Though the people and their leaders were in agreement about the people’s need for land to support a healthy democracy, the question became what was the best way to allocate land to the people of the state. The first approach was called the headright system. Under this system, Georgia gave thousands of acres of land to soldiers who had fought during the Revolution. An example of one of these land recipients is Austin Dabney. Under this system, men who did not fight in the Revolution also Georgia Department of Education Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent SOCIAL STUDIES GRADE EIGHT TEACHER NOTES REVISED 10/16/2012 Page 23 of 144 Copyright 2012 © All Rights Reserved One Stop Shop For Educators received free land. Heads of households (white men over the age of 21) could receive up 200 acres of land. Those men who had families or slaves received even more. This system ended when there were too many claimants and not enough land to offer. The second approach was called the Yazoo Act (1795) which was named after a river in the present state of Mississippi. This act sold much of the land that would become Alabama and Mississippi to four land companies for $500,000. Soon after Georgia governor, George Mathews, singed the Yazoo Act into law, it was discovered that the land companies bribed members of the Georgia General Assembly to sell the land. Almost immediately, Georgians protested the sale. Nevertheless, the legislators chose to continue with the arrangement. Upon hearing about this, one of Georgia’s U.S. senators, James Jackson, was so outraged he resigned from his seat and returned to the state. Once back, he and his political allies took control of the Georgia General Assembly and nullified the Yazoo Act. In 1802, Georgia ceded the land to the U.S. government for 1.25 million dollars and the promise that the U.S. would relinquish Indian land claims in the state and remove the Creek Indians from Georgia.