The History of Georgia

Georgia was founded in 1732 as the last of the original thirteen colonies, established as a buffer between Spanish Florida and the British colonies. It played a key role in the American Revolution and later became one of the Confederate states during the Civil War.

Cherokee Nation

The Cherokee are one of the largest Native American tribes, originally inhabiting the southeastern United States, including parts of Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Known for their sophisticated society, farming practices, and the creation of a written language by Sequoyah, the Cherokee were forcibly removed from their land in the 1830s during the Trail of Tears.

Georgia Colony

The Georgia Colony was founded in 1732 by James Oglethorpe as a place for debtors and the poor to start anew and as a buffer against Spanish Florida. It became known for its strict rules early on, but eventually grew into a thriving agricultural colony.

Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) was a conflict between the thirteen American colonies and Great Britain, resulting in the colonies gaining independence. It began with growing tensions over British taxation and governance and ended with the Treaty of Paris, which recognized the United States as a sovereign nation.

The Invention of the Cotton Gin

The invention of the cotton gin greatly increased the profitability of cotton farming, leading to a rapid expansion of slavery in the Southern states. This growth in slavery deepened the divide between the North and South, contributing to the tensions that eventually led to the Civil War.

Chickamauga Wars

The Chickamauga Wars were a series of battles, ambushes, and massacres staged between Cherokee forces under Dragging Canoe and the many militias comprised of Scotch-Irish settlers in Kentucky, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia during and after the Revolutionary War.

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was meant to expand westward across the continent. As new territories were added, fierce debates over whether slavery would be allowed in these areas increased tensions between the North and South, helping lead to the Civil War.

Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears refers to the forced removal of the Cherokee people in 1838, during which nearly 4,000 died on a brutal 1,000-mile march to present-day Oklahoma.

Secession of the Southern States

The secession of Southern states in 1860 and 1861, initiated by South Carolina, was a direct response to the election of Abraham Lincoln, whose anti-slavery stance threatened the institution central to the Southern economy and way of life. This collective withdrawal from the Union led to the formation of the Confederate States of America, setting the stage for the outbreak of the Civil War.

Civil War

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought between the Northern states (Union) and the Southern states that seceded to form the Confederacy, primarily over the issues of slavery and states’ rights. It resulted in the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery, but at the cost of over 600,000 lives.

Battle of Chickamauga

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought in September 1863, was the second deadliest battle of the Civil War and marked a major Confederate victory in the Western Theater. Although Union forces were forced to retreat, they managed to hold Chattanooga, which would become key in later Union victories.

Fall of Atlanta

The fall of Atlanta took place on September 2, 1864, after Union forces under General William T. Sherman cut off the city’s last supply lines and forced Confederate troops to evacuate. As they left, the Confederates set fire to military supplies, and much of the city was destroyed, marking a major turning point in the Civil War.

Sherman's March to the Sea

Sherman's March to the Sea was a devastating Union campaign from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, in late 1864, led by General William T. Sherman. His troops destroyed railroads, crops, and infrastructure along the way to break the South's will to fight and cripple its ability to wage war.