THE NEW STATE OF GEORGIA
EDUCATION
RELIGION
TRANSPORTATION
STATE CAPITALS
Growth of Georgia
• 1789-New Constitution
3 branches of government
General Assembly still had the most power
• Georgia large in land size but small in
population
• Need for new settlers for the frontier area
• Westward expansion
• 1790-1840- population quadrupled
RELIGION
• Religion strongly influenced growth in the new state
• Second Great Awakening (1790-1830)- an increased
interest in religion
• Growth of Protestant religion
• Gained the nickname “Bible Belt”
Baptist
Different groups: Southern, Primitive, Free Will
• GA Baptist Convention- joined different Baptists
• Created Southern Baptist Convention (largest
Protestant group today)
METHODIST
RELIGION
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Tent Revivals
Camp meetings: outside, informal
Helped Methodist church grow
1803- first tent revival/camp meeting held in
Hancock County
• Created foundation for importance of religion
ANGLICAN
• Extension of the Church of England
• Biggest group after the Revolution
• Changed to the Episcopalian Church
EDUCATION AND UGA
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Abraham Baldwin- founder and 1st president
CHARTER 1785
633 acres- donated by John Milledge
First public university in USA
First called Franklin College
1st school open to the lower classes
Felt education was needed for a free gov’t
1801- held first classes, Women- 1918
• http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1017290000
1?bctid=17697198001 (Abraham Baldwin BIO GA Stories)
Technology
Better Transportation
New machines to help with agriculture
Invention of the cotton gin 1793
• Eli Whitney
• Separated the seed from the cotton fiber
• Twice as fast as a person doing by hand
• Plantation owners needed more people to
help grow and pick the crop
TRANSPORTATION
• Colonial period- walk, horse, wagon
• Move to unsettled areas and new towns, need
to connect these regions and towns.
• Steam boat/rivers (coastal plain)
• Good transportation needed for growth in the
interior of state
• Canals- to connect rivers, waterways (north
mostly)- ex: Erie Canal
• GA- plan for 4 canals- Altamaha to Brunswick
• Started, but abandoned for RAILROAD
RAILROADS
• 1833 State chartered two railroads, Georgia
Railroad Company and Central Georgia
Railroad
• 1837-Western & Atlantic RR (W&A)
• Placed stake 7 m E of Chattahoochee River
and called the location “Terminus”
• By 1860- all but 2 RR lines passed through this
city
• Terminus became known as Marthasville, then
Atlanta
Georgia’s Capital City
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S- SAVANNAH
A- AUGUSTA
L- LOUISVILLE
M- MILLEDGEVILLE
A- ATLANTA
CHANGING CAPITALS
• Louisville in 1796-1807
• Changed from Augusta
• William Few helped decide where it would
change to.
• Near Ogeechee River
• Named for King Louis XVI for support during
the Rev War
• Did well at first- tobacco
• 1807 then to Milledgeville
CITY
DATE
CAPITAL FACT
REASON FOR
MOVING
Savannah
1733
Georgia’s first capital
Georgia’s population was
in the area around
Augusta
Augusta
1786
Alternate capital during the American
Revolution
Location was too far east;
a more central location
was needed
Louisville
1796
Site where Yazoo Act was repealed
and burned on the capitol grounds
Moved to follow
population growth in the
west
Milledgeville
1807
Land lotteries conducted here; capital
during the Civil War
Georgia voters chose
Atlanta as the capital
after the Civil War
Atlanta
1868
The capitol building was built for less
than $1 million
Atlanta is Georgia’s
capital city today.
HISTORY OF GEORGIA CAPITALS
1777-78 Savannah
1779-80 Augusta*
1780-81 Washington, miscellaneous sites in Wilkes County*
1781-82 Augusta
1782 Ebenezer*, Savannah
1783 Augusta
1784 Savannah, Augusta
1785 Savannah
1786-96 Augusta
1796-1806 Louisville
1807-1868 Milledgeville
1868-present Atlanta
* Temporary meeting sites of state government