Georgia History

Beginning with its discovery by De Soto in 1540, Georgia has over 400 years of recorded history. However, it was not until 1732 that it was colonized by the British. James Oglethorpe arrived on Georgia’s coast with 114 of what has been called “the most selectively chosen group of colonist to come to British North America”. There were businessmen, tradesmen and unemployed labors, but in an effort to create a colony void of temptation, any one of questionable repute, as well as attorneys and Catholics were not included. Slavery was prohibited. Unfortunately, the colonist soon discovered that many of the ideas they
had chosen for profit, were unsuccessful.

The colonist looked to the neighbors in South Carolina and noticed that commerce flourished as the planters there used slave labor to work their fields of rice and indigo. Consequently, by 1760 there were 15,000 slaves and 18,000 whites in Georgia. By the 1860’s, 6% of the white families owned a minimum of 20 slaves and they held over half of the states property value. Georgia’s remaining farmers owned less than 5 slaves and managed land areas of 100 acres or less.

The Civil War in Georgia

If you ask a Georgian, why the state seceded from the Union, you will be told that it was for state rights. This is because many do not wish to give the answer of slavery. Ironically, most people believe that when Georgia seceded, they immediately joined the Confederacy. But in reality, it was not until 2 months later when southern leaders met in Montgomery, Alabama that Georgia became part of Confederate States of America.

Although many Georgians fought for the Confederate army, Georgia was not the site of many battles during the early stages of war. Rather, Georgia textiles mills and factories produced items needed to support the Southern troops. As Atlanta was in the center of the Confederacy, it was the most important transportation center in the South.

By 1863, things had changed for the worst for many Georgians. Many of those who had enlisted thinking that the war would be short lived, had realized that was not the case. Supplies for the troops, as well as their families back home, were in great demand. Many of the soldiers deserted and those who remained resorted to pillaging the struggling farms and fields they encountered. Unfortunately, things only got worse. In 1864, General William T. Sherman dealt devastating destruction on Atlanta, as he marched his Union troops toward Savannah. As war wrecked havoc across Georgia, many Georgian's lost their homes and their livelihood. Those who still had slaves would wake up one morning to discover that their slaves had slipped away during the night.

After the Civil War in Georgia

The years following the Civil War were difficult. Homes, businesses and towns needed to be rebuilt, yet there were limited financial resources. Due to the reconstruction of the banking system during the war, there were few banks available from which to borrow money for crops or farming. Consequently, many families began sharecropping. This allowed the farmer to borrow from the landowner based on the land’s value and the crops they were planting. The planters provided seeds, tools, and other necessities. Unfortunately, this was a flawed system. At settlement time, the planters often took excess dividends, leaving the sharecropper with little to live on. However, sharecropping did result in a temporary teaming of bi-racial farmers. This alliance became part of the Populist Party with Tom Watson as one of its strongest leaders.