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Colonial Era
Settlement of British colonists in the creation of colonies in the New World. -
US History: African Slaves in Jamestown
What is known as the first African American slaves arrive in Jamestown, inciting labor solutions that would affect the colonies--and later, the US. -
GA History: Georgia Colony Established
King George II granted a charter to John Oglethorpe and 20 Trustees for the creation of Georgia as the new and final colony of the British settlement in the New World. The colony was to serve towards the political and economical power of British control, while the Trustees failed at their attempt to create a debtors paradise of comfortable living. This event is significant to the trajectory of Georgia's establishment, which later will serve as ammunition towards independence from Britain. -
US History: The Royal Proclamation of 1763
The boundary of settlements for inhabitants of the 13 colonies to be Appalachia. -
GA History: Treaty of Augusta 1763
Creeks ceded land that almost tripled the size of the state. Between the trails needed for British trade and the Natives' dependence on trade with the British, this boundary set precedence to British control of the Native population. This event is significant to the future of Native populations as well as the causation of more taxation upon trade in the colonies--which would eventually lead to the Revolution. -
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American Revolution
Strained relations between the British and the colonists evoked a colonial revolution in opposition to British taxation and control, resulting in the independence of the United States. -
US History: Boston Tea Party
As a result of a myriad of taxes imposed on the colonies, Boston initiated an act of rebellion that echoed throughout the colonies. "Taxation without representation" became the war cry for revolution. -
GA History: Georgia's Second Provincial Congress
After gathering enough support in opposition to British government, Georgia held its Second Provincial Congress. As a result, representatives were chosen for the seats in Philadelphia's Second Continental Congress. There, delegates adopted the Association's ban on trade with Britain and declared Georgia no longer subject to acts of Parliament. This event is significant to Georgia entering the rebellion that produced the Revolutionary War. -
US History: Declaration of Independence
The Second Continental Congress formally approves the United State's Declaration of Independence, dissolving all relations with Great Britain. -
GA History: British Evacuate Savannah
While the declaration for independence was won, the battle still raged on until the evacuation of all British forces. One such evacuation was at Anthony Wayne's leaving his siege in Savannah, GA. This event is significant to the fact that it marked the end of the Revolutionary War in Georgia. -
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Antebellum Era
Period of history from the 18th century until the start of the Civil War. -
GA History: Gold Rush
Discovered in the hills of North Georgia, gold gave rise to the gold rush near the town of Auraria and resulted in the Great Intrusion upon the Cherokee Nation. While nearly 10,000 people flocked to North Georgia to take advantage of the gold mine land lottery, the rush didn't last much longer by the time gold was discovered out west in 1849. This event is significant to the legislation that would rid the east of all Native American tribes for Georgia to have complete control of their land. -
US History: Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson, authorizing the president to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. -
US History: Dred Scott v. Sandford
A Supreme Court decision that deemed enslaved blacks as property that can be taken anywhere in the US and other territories. -
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Civil War
Fought between the northern states--loyal to the Union--and southern states--seceded to form the Confederacy. The Civil War ended with the victory of the Union and the dissolving of the Confederacy. -
GA History: Secession
At the onset of Lincoln's presidential win, southern states seceded from the Union based on fears of the abolition of slavery in the South. Georgia gave their official Ordinance of Secession and became the 5th state of the union to withdraw from the Union. This event is significant to the fact that southern secession provoked the Civil War between the North and the South, forever changing the landscape of the United States socially, economically, and politically. -
US History: Battle of Fort Sumter
The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, near Charleston, SC, was the initial battle of victory that began the Civil War. -
GA History: Siege of Fort Pulaski
Captured by Union forces during the Civil War, Fort Pulaski became an important win for the North and a detrimental defeat for the South. Located at the mouth of the Savannah River, this siege meant that the Confederate States would be cut off from its main supply at its Savannah Port. -
US History: Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation announcing the freedom of slaves from the Confederate States. -
GA History: Sherman's March to Sea
The most brutal campaign of the Civil War, Sherman's March to Sea began in Atalanta, GA, and ended in Savannah, GA. Using psychological warfare on the Confederate population, Sherman destroyed everything in his path to ensure the citizens would realize that the Confederacy could not offer as much protection as the Union. This event was significant to the morale of the war and the Confederacy's defeat. -
US History: Freedmen's Bureau Established
Formerly known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. Established by Congress to help millions of former black slaves and poor whites in the aftermath of the Civil War. -
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Reconstruction Era
Period of time after the Civil War, where the United States worked through integrating the Confederate States back into the Union and initiated many important civil rights for African Americans. -
US History: New South
Georgia native Henry Grady coins the idea of a New South, moving forward in anti-slavery sentiment and pursuit of industrialization. -
US History: Fourteenth Amendment
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves, and guaranteed due process and equal protection under the law. -
GA History: Readmission to the Union
Following the Civil War, the Confederate states had to meet certain requirements to make reentry into the Union. Part of the requirements was to accept certain laws that granted civil rights to newly freed African Americans. Until Georgia agreed to ratify the 14th Amendment, they could not rejoin the Union. This event is significant to the fact that the rebellion of Georgia displayed continued even after legislation was in place for the protection of African Americans in the South. -
GA History: Convict Lease System Established
Georgia passes legislation authorizing a system in which state prisons lease out inmates to private citizens for 1-5 years. Since slavery ended with the Civil War, southern states found new ways to keep African Americans under their control. The convict lease system aimed to control the labor of Reconstruction while profiting the state. This event is significant to the continued push for white supremacy all throughout the South, eventually leading to the Civil Rights Movement. -
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Jim Crow Era
Following Emancipation and Reconstruction, Jim Crow was a period of laws that forced racial segregation for African Americans. -
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Gilded Age
A period of transformation in the economy, technology, government, and social customs of America. -
GA History: International Cotton Exposition
As an attempt to gain investments as a new industrial center, cotton expositions were planned for 1881, 1887, and 1885. Each event drew more and more support, living up to Henry Grady's push for a "New South". This event was significant to the fact that Georgia was able to transition with the Industrial Revolution and compete with a global market, setting the stage for future developments outside of agriculture. -
GA History: Atlanta Compromise Speech
At the height of social reform, and racial tension still brewing, Booker T. Washington gave a speech on conditional acceptance of racial subordination. Solidifying the "separate but equal" mentality that Plessy vs. Ferguson already pushed, this event created even more tension amongst the black leaders of this time. This event is significant to the coming conflict between the whites and blacks, as riots, rebellion, and violence play out across the South. -
US History: Plessy vs. Ferguson
The Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws, forever coining the term "separate but equal". -
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Progressive Era
A period of social activism and political reform. -
GA History: Atlanta Race Riot
With more emergence of black independence and success, whites used manipulation to create fear and terror towards African Americans, men in particular. As a result of these fear tactics, mobs attacked and killed dozens of African Americans and destroyed their property, turning the perspective to that of defense for safety. This event is significant to the way in which blacks viewed their stance in opposition to injustice. -
GA History: Disenfranchisement of African Americans
Georgia adopts literacy and understanding tests as a requirement for African Americans to be able to vote. Georgia voters approved this disenfranchisement, ending African Americans' ability to participate in their freedom to vote. This event is significant to the push for white supremacy that continued to show up as a means to keep African Americans oppressed even in their freedom. -
US History: NAACP Formed
Due to the violence that was imposed on African Americans, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was created with the goal to advance justice. -
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World War I
A global war beginning in Europe, pitting Central Powers against Allies, and ending with the Treaty of Versaille. -
GA History: Great Migration
Due to the negative effect that World War I had on a life of agriculture within the southern states, African Americans began the trek to more urban areas of economic opportunity up North. Not only did this decrease the African American population in Georgia, it increased the populations in more predominantly white areas in the North. This event is significant to the major culture shift that will ensue, causing riots across the nation. -
US History: US Declares War on Germany
President Woodrow Wilson goes before Congress to request a declaration of war on Germany. -
US History: Red Summer
Between April and November, there would be approximately 25 riots and instances of mob violence, 97 recorded lynchings, and a three day long massacre in Elaine, Arkansas during which over 200 black men, women, and children were killed after black sharecroppers tried to organize for better working conditions. -
GA History: Race Riot of Millen
The earliest race riot that occurred during the Red Summer, killing 2 white officers and 4 black men. As with many of the riots that took place, blame was shifted to blacks and ended with violence. This event is significant to the string of riots that would take place across the states, enlisting the support of returned African American army veterans. -
US History: Nineteenth Amendment
Women's suffrage ended with the 19th Amendment granting American women the right to vote. -
GA History: Warm Springs Foundation
After spending time at the Georgia springs, Franklin D. Roosevelt bought the parcels of land that would house a foundation for polio patients. As he spent much time in the springs, FDR got to know the lay of the land and the people. Upon his inauguration as president, in 1933, Roosevelt held a special interest in turning Georgia around from the effects of the Great Depression. This event is significant to the fact that it began a relationship that would benefit years ahead. -
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Great Depression
Beginning with the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the Great Depression marks one of the most severe economic depressions in US history. -
GA History: Eugene Talmadge, Governor
Serving as governor over a period of three terms, Talmadge was one of the most controversial governors in Georgia history. With his strong resistance to civil rights, he publicly advocated for desegregation and white supremacy. While this was most notably his worse attribute, Talmadge managed to make matters worse in other ways as well. This event is significant to the racist political ideals held in Georgia's government seat for a plethora of years. -
US History: Franklin D. Roosevelt as President
Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. -
US History: New Deal
As a form of relief, reform, and recovery from the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal set up a series of programs, financial reforms, public works projects, and regulations that would help get the country back to good standard. -
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World War II
Sparked by the Nazi invasion of Poland, World War II was a war involving more than 30 countries that consisted of Allies and Axis. -
US History: Pearl Harbor
A surprise attack by the Japanese, imposing a military strike on a Hawaiian naval base. -
GA History: Bell Bomber Plant
Assisting in the efforts of World War II, the Bell Bomber Plant was housed in Marietta, GA, with a large airfield. Women and African American workers would be notably present to fulfill the role of line production and bomber assembly. This event is significant to the role Georgia would have in the war, as well as the jumpstart to working opportunities for women and African Americans. -
GA History: Center for Disease Control
As a solution to the malaria problem spreading across the nation, the Communicable Disease Center was established. Since its creation, the CDC has been instrumental in the fight against communicable diseases. This event is significant to Georgia's modern advancements in science which, in turn, impacts the whole country. -
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Civil Rights Movement
Organizing under the cause to end racial discrimination, the Civil Rights Movement served as a vehicle to acquire equal rights under the law. -
US History: Brown vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court decision that racial segregation of children in public schools is unconstitutional. -
US History: Montgomery Bus Boycott
Refusing to surrender her seat on a racially segregated Montgomery bus, Rosa Parks sparked a movement for civil rights as the Montgomery Bus Boycott soon followed. -
GA History: The Magnolia Room Sit-In
Following in the wake of previous sit-ins, Martin Luther King, Jr. and several African American students from Atlanta protested at the counter of the Magnolia Room, in the largest retail department in Atlanta. With the goal of desegregating the lunch counters for their city, all hope was lost at their arrest for legislation violation. However, this event is significant to the rise of civil unrest for change. -
GA History: Atlanta Nine
With the help of the HOPE organization--Help Our Public Schools--Georgia was able to participate in the desegregation process of public schools soon after the Brown vs. BOE decision was made. Nine African American high schoolers enrolled in 4 white high schools, with minimal peaceful protests. This event is significant to the positive change in civil rights that would start sweeping the South. -
GA History: Albany Movement
With the help of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, what began as a drive for voter registration turned into a voters' rights coalition for desegregation. Gathering support from none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. himself, the Albany Movement made quite a stir at King's arrest. While the efforts the coalition did not pan out as they had hoped, this event is still significant to the rise in civil rights movements that were sweeping the South. -
GA History: Carl Sanders, Governor
Even though talk of a New South had been pursued for years, it wasn't until the appointing of Carl Sanders that Georgia felt it had a New South leader. Bringing lots of ideas to push Georgia forward into more contemporary politics, Sanders produced major reform in education, state government, race relations, and economic development. This event is significant to Georgia because of Sanders' ability to greatly enhance Georgia's national image. -
US History: Gray vs. Sanders
Supreme Court decision to abolish the county unit system and declare a "one person, one vote" standard for legislative districting. -
US History: Voting Rights Act of 1965
President Lyndon B. Johnson outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. -
US History: Smallpox
The 33rd World wealth Assembly officially declared the world free of smallpox after the last stint of cases in the late 60s. Eradication of smallpox is considered the biggest achievement in international public health. -
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Modern Georgia
The shaping and development of modern society within the realm of social, technological, economical, and political issues of the time. -
GA History: Sonny Perdue, Governor
For the first time since Reconstruction, Georgia elected a Republican governor in Sonny Perdue. Given Georgia's 100-year reign of the Democratic Party, this event is significant to the shift towards conservative politics. -
US History: Barack Obama, President
Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States.
