The History of Georgia

By Kelly D
  • Jan 1, 1540

    Hernando de Soto Explores GA

    Hernando de Soto marched north from Florida to present-day Albany with 600 men in search of gold. The Natives feared the Spaniards and their weapons. Thousands of the natives died due to diseases that the Spaniards brought with them.
  • Jan 1, 1566

    Spanish Missions

    Cumberland Island, St. Katherine's Island, missions used to spread religion and search for gold, used to make a barrier to keep French and British from invading

  • Massachusetts Colony Established

  • Virginia Colonies Established

    England's first permanent colony in N. America, first three ships landed in Chesapeake Bay, founding of Jamestown

  • Fort King George

    1721-1727 Southernmost outpost of the British Empire

  • Georgia Colony Established

    The Charter of 1732 was a statement from King George that officialized the colony of Georgia. It established the rules of the colony. It declared who was welcome in the colony and what they could do there.
  • Period: to

    Trustee Period

  • War of Jenkins Ear

    1739-1748 Territorial dispute between Britain and Spain

  • Battle of Bloody Marsh

    A successful surprise attack on the Spanish by the British on St. Simon's Island. It was the beginning of British dominance in that region.
  • Period: to

    Royal Period

    The 21 Trustees of Georgia give control of the colony back to the crown.

  • Georgia Receives First Royal Governor

    John Reynolds
  • Period: to

    French and Indian War

    A war between the French and their Indian allies and the British and their Indian allies. Fighting takes place in North America, North Africa, and Europe, creating the first real world war.

  • GA's Second Royal Governor

    Henry Ellis, Reynolds dismantled the colonists' legislature and Ellis took over

  • GA's Third Royal Governor

    Ellis fell ill and James Wright took over

  • Proclamation of 1763

    The Proclamation of 1763 came into affect after the French and Indian War and gave British colonies more Western land

  • Stamp Act

    All legal documents required an approval stamp that had a tax on it

  • Townshend Acts

  • Boston Massacre

    British soldiers fired upon an unarmed crowd of civilians, outraged the colonies

  • Boston Tea Party

    Patriots dressed as Native Americans boarded a British ship at night and threw all of the boxes of tea into the Boston Harbor

  • Intolerable Acts

  • Declaration of Independence

    America's "break up letter" with Great Britain

  • Battle of Lexington and Concord

    This conflict marked the beginning of the American Revolution. The Massachusetts militia fought against the British here.

  • The Revolutionary War Begins

    The war begins, James Wright is no longer governor and is sent back to England

  • Battle of Kettle Creek

    First major Patriot win in GA, giant morale booster, gave Patriots supplies

  • Siege of Savannah

    Patriot forces allied with the French tried to take Savannah from the British by blocking the city, but Savannah was very well supplied. One month later, the Patriots attempted to storm the city. They were defeated in 45 minutes and fled.

  • The Articles of Confederation

    This document was the colonies' first attempt at a constitution. It created an extremely weak central government out of fear of tyranny. The state governments held way too much power. The document lacked unity and was soon revised.

  • Battle of Yorktown

    The last battle of the Revolutionary War in which the British surrendered and signed the Treaty of Paris.

  • Treaty of Paris

    The Treaty of Paris was signed by representatives of King George III and representatives of America and officially created the United States.

  • Shay's Rebellion

    Daniel Shay, a Revolutionary War veteran, was falling behind on his taxes. He and some other farmers believed that veterans should not have to pay taxes and started a rebellion. The rebellion spread quickly. There was no national army to stop the rebellion or a national court to punish the rebels.

  • Creation of the U.S. Constitution

    After being ratified in 11 states, the Articles were replaced by the US Constitution. Starting with the 3 perfect words "We The People", this document was signed by 39 of the 55 delegates. In the constitution, the founding fathers gave power to add to the Constitution as times changed. There was separation of powers so no one person or branch had too much power.

  • Ratification of the US Constitution

    The first ratification took place in Delaware by a unanimous vote of 30-0. Thus document is an endorsed ratification of the federal Constitution by the Delaware convention.

  • Creation of the Cotton Gin

    Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. This invention revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the removing of seeds from the cotton fiber.

  • Yazoo Land Fraud

    One of the worst political scandals of all time. GA's legal boundary was the Mississippi River, but the government owned everything west of the Chattahoochee River. 4 main land companies joined together to bribe the GA legislature into selling them the land west of the Chattahoochee. They then sold the land for a higher price to the public. The company burned the documents and records after the government found out.

  • Dahlonega Gold Rush

    Second significant gold rush in the US, overshadowed previous gold rush in North Carolina, gold became difficult to find by the early 1840s

  • Indian Removal Act

    A few tribes left their lands peacefully, but many resisted the relocation policy. During the fall and winter of 1838 and 1839, the Cherokees were forcibly moved west by the US government. Approximately 4,000 Cherokees died on this forced march, which became known as the "Trail of Tears".