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Jamestown Established
May 14,1607 Jamestown Established -
Petition for Royal Charter
Petition for Royal Charter by James Oglethorpe:On April 21, 1732 the Royal Charter establishing Georgia was signed by King George. The new territory was established as a place for debtors to go to become productive members of society and work off their debts. -
Treaty of Augusta Signed
Treaty of Augusta:In 1773 the Treaty of Augusta was signed, granting 2,000,000 acres to the Creek and Cherokee people. This was meant to alleviate pressures on the native people caused by the expansion of settler territories. -
Battle of Bloody marsh
Battle of Bloody Marsh: On July 7, 1742 British and Spanish forces faced off on St. Simons Island. The Spanish, commanded by Don Manuel de Montiano, were invading Georgia. General Oglethorpe led the British defenders. This was the only attempt by the Spaniards to invade the state. -
British Adopt Gregorian Calendar
Sept 2, 1752 British Adopt Gregorian Calendar -
French and Indian War
January 1, 1754 French and Indian War Begins: Battle for control of eastern North America between British and French -
Georgia's First Royal Governor Appointed
John Reynolds Georgia’s First Royal Governor:On October 29, 1754, John Reynolds arrived in Savannah to assume the role of Governor. He was the first real administrator for the state since the Trustee’s power ended over a year before. -
Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770 Boston Massacre: British troops kill civilians, inciting riots -
Boston Tea Party
Dec 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party: Considered by many to be the start of the War for Independence -
First continental Congress
First Continental Congress:The First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia in 1774, but Georgia didn’t send representatives because many prominent Georgians were happy with the economic prosperity under British rule. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
April 19, 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord -
Declaration of Independance
July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence -
Georgia State Constititution Adopted
Georgia State Constitution Adopted:Started in April 1776 by the Georgia Trustees, the first state constitution was ratified in February 1777 without being voted upon by the population. It gave most of the power to a state legislature. -
British Raid in Georgia
Georgia Raided by British in an Attempt to Regain Rule: Throughout 1781 and ’82 the British occupied areas in Georgia, including Savannah, in attempt to re-establish rule over the rebellious colonies. This led to the move of the capitol to Augusta (among other places). -
Shay's Rebellion
Aug 1, 1786 Shays Rebellion: Citizens take up arms to protest taxation -
Georgia Statehood Established
Georgia Statehood Established:At the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia, representatives from Georgia signed to ratify the Constitution of the United States. With this signing came official statehood in the new union. -
George Washington Elected President
Feb 4, 1789 George Washington Elected President -
Supreme Court Established
Feb 2, 1790 U.S. Supreme Court Established -
Bill of Rights
Dec, 15 1791 Bill of Rights Ratified -
Eli Whitney Invents Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invents the Cotton Gin:On March 14, 1794 Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin. Within a decade the machine was in heavy use and made King Cotton a huge commodity. Because Georgia was such a large cotton producer, the time-saving device brought great wealth. It also made Georgia growers depend heavily upon slave labor to tend and pick the cotton it would sell to mills in the Northeast and Europe. -
Pickney Treaty
Border Between Georgia and Florida Established:The Pickney Treaty of 1795 between the US and Spain created a way to end border disputes. The Southern border of Georgia (thus the Northern border of Florida) was established by surveyors from both nations working concurrently. -
Georgia Get a New Legislature
Georgia Elects a New Legislature to Repeal the Yazoo Land Deals:In 1795, large plots of land were sold unethically to 4 companies, swindling many out of land and money. In response, U.S. Senator James Jackson enacted the Rescinding Act in 1796 to nullify the sale. -
John Adams Elected President
March 4, 1797 John Adams Becomes Second President -
Capitol moved to Washington D.C.
June 15,1800 U.S. Capitol Moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. -
Georgia sold is Lands West of Chattahoochee to the
Georgia Sold its Lands West of the Chattahoochee to the Federal Government:In 1802, Georgia signed the Article of Agreement and Cession, establishing the Chattahoochee river as its western boundary. -
Louisiana Purchase
May 2, 1803 Louisiana Purchase: large tract of land purchased by the U.S. from France -
Construction of The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
July 4, 1828 Construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad: the first public railroad in the U.S. -
Railroad System Developed in Georgia
Railway System Developed in Georgia:Begun in 1833, but not of considerable size until the early ‘40’s, the Central Railroad of Georgia linked the most important cities with rural commodity production areas, especially those that produced cotton. -
Texas Declares Independence
March 1, 1836 Texas Declares Independence from Mexico -
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears:In 1838 the remaining natives, mostly Cherokee, were rounded up and marched to Indian Territory. The lands were cleared of natives so they could be used for agriculture (mainly cotton) and for mining gold. -
Texas Annexed
March 1, 1845 Texas Annexed by U.S. -
John Brown Rebellion
October 16, 1859 John Brown’s Rebellion: Abolotionists capture Federal Arsenal in Harper’s Ferry -
Movement for Secession
Governor Joseph Brown Leads a Movement for Secession:In response to President Lincoln’s 1860 election on a platform of anti-slavery, southern Democrats led by Joseph Brown move to secede from the Union. -
President Lincolns Election and Secession
In response to President Lincoln’s 1860 election on a platform of anti-slavery, southern Democrats led by Joseph Brown move to secede from the Union. January 1,1861 Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana Secede from the Union -
Fifth State to Secede
Becomes Fifth State to Secede From the Union:On January 21, 1861 Georgia signed the Ordinance of Secession, leaving the rescinding membership in the United States. Soon after it joined the Confederate States of America. -
Battle of Gettysburg
July 1-3, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg: Bloodiest Battle of the Civil War -
Battle of Chickamauga
The Battle of Chickamauga:Between September 18-20 1863, the bloodiest battle fought in Georgia occurred. Severe casualties were incurred by both sides, in the end about 34,000 men were slain. Though it was considered a Confederate victory, the loss of life was crippling to the southern forces. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman’s March to the Sea:On November 15, 1864, General Sherman began a march across Georgia to illustrate to the citizens that the Confederate Government could not protect them. He left a wake of destitute farmers and burned buildings behind him. -
Sherman Captures Savannah
Sherman Captures Savannah:On December 22, 1864, General Sherman succeeded in capturing Georgia’s main port city, Savannah. He offered the city and its contents as a Christmas present to President Lincoln. -
Georgia Readmitted to Union
Georgia Readmitted to the Union:Beginning in 1865, the first of multiple new state Constitutions was drafted to include the abolition of slavery. It was amended to include suffrage to black males in 1869. With the adoption of new constitutions came membership in the United States. -
Lincoln Assasinated
April 15,1865 President Lincoln Assassinated -
US bought Alaska
March 30,1867 Alaska Bought From Russia -
Capitol moved to Atlanta
Capitol Moved to Atlanta:On January 1, 1868, the capitol of Georgia was made Atlanta. This moved the capitol to a more central location with easy access to rail lines. -
Increase in Manufacturing & Trade in Georgia
Manufacturing & Trade Increase in Georgia:One of the benefits to Reconstruction and membership in the Union was increased interest in Industrialization. In the 1870’s new manufacturing facilities were constructed and resources were collected on a much larger scale. This increased the wealth within the state and created many new jobs. -
15th Amendment Ratified
Feb 3,1870 15th Amendment Ratified: Gives Blacks the right to vote -
Creation of Counties
Creation of Counties to Organize the State:In October of 1870, the creation of new counties to better organize the state began in full. Though counties existed before this, new rules of governance made the segregation of the state into many counties logical. Following this there was a rapid growth of the number of counties (such rapid expansion eventually led to constitutional rules regarding total number of counties). -
Custer's Last Stand
June 26, 1876 Custer’s Last Stand