Transcript Government, Land Fever, & Economics inga

Government, Land Fever, &
Economics in Georgia
1780-1840
GEORGIA STUDIES
Introduction to Government
 The first constitution of the United States was called
the Articles of Confederation.
 Under the Articles, the federal government was very
weak.
Articles of Confederation
 Because of its weaknesses, it was hard for the
thirteen colonies to become one nation.
 In 1787, fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia, PA
to revise the Articles of Confederation
 Georgia’s representatives were Abraham Baldwin &
William Few
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
The United States Constitution
 The new constitution, written in 1787, created a
government with three branches.

Executive – President, Vice-President, and cabinet


Legislative – Congress (Senate & House of Representatives)


Carries out the laws
Makes the laws
Judicial – Court System

Interpret the laws
The legislative branch of the government is bi-cameral.
 Senate: Each state gets two senators
 House of Representatives: States get representatives according to
their population
Three Branches of Government
Controversy at the Constitutional Convention
 There was controversy over how the slave population
would be counted during the Constitutional
Convention
 Northern states did not think slaves should be
counted in the population
 Southern states felt slaves should be included in the
population count
 After much discussion, they came up with the 3/5ths
compromise

Every five slaves would count as three people toward
population count for representation
Changes to the Constitution
 Changes to the constitution are known as
amendments
 The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
are called the Bill of Rights
Georgia’s Role
 Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United
States Constitution.
 Georgia’s first constitution was written in Savannah,
our first capital, in 1777.
 The main points of the first Georgia constitution
were:
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
Limited power for the governor
Counties replaced parishes
Unicameral state legislature
Changes in Georgia’s Constitution & Government
 In 1785, the capital of Georgia was moved to
Augusta.
 Georgia’s constitution was rewritten in 1789. The
changes to the state constitution made Georgia’s
government very similar to the United States
government.
Constitution of 1789
 Three branches of government to ensure separation
of powers



Executive
Legislative
Judicial
 The Legislature was now called the General
Assembly



Bicameral
Members were elected by popular vote
Legislature selected governor and other state officials
Land Fever in Georgia
 In the late 1700s & early 1800s, there were two main
ways land was distributed:


Headright system – each white male head of household had
the right to receive up to 1000 acres
Land Lottery – replaced headright system

People were given a chances to receive land through a lottery if
they paid a small fee
Yazoo Land Fraud
 Four land companies approached Georgia’s governor
and members of the General Assembly to bribe them
to allow the companies to buy land at 1 ½ cents per
acre.
 The land companies turned around and sold the land
at a huge profit.
Yazoo Land Fraud
 Georgians were angered and voted the legislators
involved out of office.
 Georgia’s capital was moved to Louisville in 1796
where lawmakers burned all copies of the sales
records.
 In the end, Georgia had to pay $4 million dollars to
resolve the Yazoo land claims.
Yazoo Land Fraud, continued
 As a result of the Yazoo land scheme, Georgia ended
up losing land when Georgia citizens appealed to the
legislature to give land to the federal government.
 In 1802, Georgia ceded land west of the
Chattahoochee River to the federal government for
$1.25 million, making the Chattahoochee River
Georgia’s western boundary.
Economics in Georgia (1780s to 1830s)
 Two agricultural crops were prominent in Georgia in
this time period:
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Cotton
Tobacco
Cotton Gin
 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which made it
easier to remove the seeds from cotton.
 The cotton gin increased the demand for slaves
because cotton could be processed much faster.
Mechanical Reaper
 The invention of the mechanical reaper also helped
Georgia’s farms become more productive.
Economics, continued
 The development of the railroad made the
transportation of crops easier.
 In Georgia, most of the railroad track belonged to
Western & Atlantic Railroad.

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Ran from a point near present-day Chattanooga to a point on
the southeastern Chattahoochee River.
That point was called “Terminus” which meant “the end of a
railroad line”. Today it is known as Atlanta (after the “Atlantic”
in Western & Atlantic Railroad).
Land Lottery Activity
 Please wait for further instructions from Mrs. Eby
Land Lottery activity
 Fortunate:
Describe your lot and give the lot number. How do you plan to use this
land?
2.
Would you prefer another location and why?
3.
Was this a fair way for the government to distribute land? Explain your
reasons.
4.
What are the advantages and disadvantages to the lottery system?
 Less Fortunate:
1.
If you were unfortunate, do you plan to try again another time? Why or
why not?
2.
If you could have chosen a plot of land, which one of the 16 plots would
you choose. Explain your reasons.
3.
Was this a fair way for the government to distribute land? Why or why
not?
4.
What are the advantages and disadvantages to the lottery system?
1.