Georgia History Exam Study Guide Georgia History Overviews: Archaic Period – three subperiods Early Archaic (8,000 to 10,000 years ago) • • • People were hunter-gatherers o Deer, black bears, turkey o Fruit, nuts, roots, seeds, berries Lived in “bands” = small groups (20-50 people) Identified by stone spear points with notches on the bases & sharp serrated edges on spear points o Made to attach stone points to a spear shaft made of wood Middle Archaic (5,000 to 8,000 years ago) • • • • Climate conditions made the area significantly drier and warmer than today o *Native American people adapted to this climate to make up a distinct culture known as Middle Archaic* Identified by flaked stone tools Sites found in Piedmont, in ridge crests Hunters and gatherers with no sign of long-term habitation, mostly temporary Late Archaic (3,000 to 5,000 years ago) • • • • • Native societies grew and people traveled long distances to trade for exotic goods Territories shrank in size & more permanent settlements were built Identified by evolution of cooking technology o Large stone knives, darts, spear points, soapstone cooking slabs, etc. Settled near rivers & created shell middens o EX: Stallings Island on Savannah River near Augusta Cremated & buried the dead Woodland Period (1000 BC to AD 900) = development of horticulture Increased in sedentariness (living in on area) & social stratification (classes), an elaboration of ritual & ceremony, & intensification of agriculture Early Woodland – continuation of many innovations from Late Archaic period • Ceramic cooking vessels became sturdier & pots were decorated more elaborately • • Settlements become somewhat more permanent o Generally small & seasonal (less than 50 people) Horticulture (agriculture) increases! Middle Woodland – significant social change • • • • • Settlements are larger and more permanent (up to 20 houses) Corn is introduced – not a dietary staple though Agriculture becomes more important Increase in ritual and ceremonialism o Rock mounds ▪ EX: Kolomoki site in Southwest Georgia Ceramic vessels became more elaborate o Designed with animals, insects, and plants Late Woodland – most poorly understood portion of Georgia prehistory • • • Mound construction & regional trade diminish Corn agriculture is very important Rise of warfare through the bow and arrow Mississippian Period (AD 800 to AD 1600) = development of chiefdoms The development of some of the most complex societies that ever existed in North America. • • • • • • Horticulturalists (mainly farmers)who grew their food such as corn, beans, squash, etc. Ate wild plants and animals (deer, turkeys), and collected fish, shellfish, and turtles. Houses mainly used for shelter and spent much of their time outdoors Chiefdoms = specific kind of human social organizations with social rankings as a fundamental part of their structure. o Elites & commoners ▪ Believed elites could influence the supernatural world thus they had special treatment (bigger houses, special clothes & food) **Lived close to rivers where flooding helped replenish soil nutrients** Small villages with a few hundred residents o Central plaza, residental zone, defensive structures o 1 or more mound served as capitals of chiefdoms ▪ EX: Etowah site near Cartersville, GA The Mississippian Period ended due to the increasing European presence in Southeast, which devastated native populations. **Remnant populations formed the Creeks, Cherokees, & Seminoles** Georgia – Geographic Regions: • • • • • Appalachian Plateau – extremely northwest corner o Lookout Mountain Valley and Ridge – northeast to southeast through the state Blue Ridge – southern extent of the Appalachian Mountain range o Highest point in the state is in the Blue Ridge ▪ EX: Brasstown Bald o Was a mining area, now a source of recreation Piedmont – home to most of GA population, mountain foothills o Most cities fall into this area o Highly industrialized: carpet milling, aircraft & automobile manufacturing, etc. Coastal Plain – south of fall line o Upper Coastal Plain = core of peanut, cotton, and vegetable industry o Lower Coastal Plain = actual coastal area of the state and Sea Island ▪ Big due to recreation and shipping associated with Georgia coast Jekyll Island – known for Jekyll island club St. Simons Island – home to two Spanish Catholic missions San Buenaventura de Guadalquini and Santo Domingo de Asao Founding of Georgia Georgia was established in 1732. In 1733, James Oglethorpe landed at Yamacraw Bluff (new settlement of Savannah). Reasons for founding: Refuge for the debtors who crowded London prisons Buffer zone to protect South Carolina and other southern colonies Wanted Georgia to fit into British mercantilism Georgia was the only one of the colonies which slavery was explicitly banned, along with rum, lawyers, and Catholics. Revolutionary War in Georgia Many Georgians opposed British trade regulations, but many hesitated to join the revolutionary movement that emerged in the American colonies in the early 1770s and resulted in the Revolutionary War (1775-83). • • The colony had prospered under royal rule Georgians feared a possible Indian attack without British troops’ protection. Whigs = resisted royal government Tories = loyal to the king • • • • • • • • • British warships arrived in Savannah River in January 1776 Battle of Rice Boats occurred in March 1776 & fleet sailed away with rice and fugitive Governor Wright o Created “Rules and Regulations” as a simple frame of government Georgia Constitutional Convention in February 1777 o Button Gwinnett (WHIG) served as the speaker of the convention Button Gwinnett and George Wells = leaders of radical faction in Georgia o Both died in duels British Army returned in 1778 Siege of Savannah = failed attempt by American and French forces to retake Savannah from the British Two Battles of Augusta took place in 1780 o Loyalists' vs rebels British evacuated Savannah in 1782 Lyman Hall elected governor in 1783 Georgia was a newly independent state! Had to convince the Creek Indians, who possessed the land, that Georgia had a right to it.
