GMAS Review - the BIG set

Hernando de Soto

Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition through the southeastern U.S. in search of gold

Mississippian Indians

the last major prehistoric Native American culture in Georgia; known for being large scale farmers and mound builders who traded throughout North America

James Oglethorpe

Considered the founder of Georgia; signed the Treaty of Savannah in 1733 with Tomochichi to build the town of Savannah; recruited Salzburgers and Highland Scots to Georgia

Salzburgers

A group of Protestants from Austria who were invited to settle in Georgia due to religious persecution they were experiencing in Europe; established the towns of Ebenezer and New Ebenezer; were some of the most successful colonists

Mary Musgrove

Creek Indian woman who served as the translator for James Oglethorpe and Yamacraw Chief Tomochichi

Tomochichi

Was the chief of the Yamacraw Indians. He befriended James Oglethorpe and allowed him to establish the colony of Georgia on Yamacraw territory

Highland Scots

Known as being excellent fighters. James Oglethorpe brought a group to Georgia to serve as soldiers for the colony. They founded the town of Darien.

Malcontents

A group of colonists who complained about the trustee regulations for the Georgia colony; primary complaints were the ban on slavery and rum.

Trustees

A group of 21 men who established the colony of Georgia. Of the group, only one, James Oglethorpe, came to the colony

Button Gwinnet, Lyman Hall, and George Walton

Signers of the Declaration of Independence from Georgia

Loyalists

Colonists who were loyal to Great Britain; also known as Tories

Abraham Baldwin and William Few

Georgia signers of the U.S. Constitution

Patriots

Colonists who wanted to become independent from Great Britain

Eli Whitney

invented a machine (cotton gin) in 1793 that quickly removed seeds from the cotton fibers

Andrew Jackson

seventh president of the United States who was an advocate of Indian Removal

John Marshall

Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who ruled in favor of the Cherokee in the Worcester vs. Georgia case; President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce Supreme Court's ruling

William McIntosh

Creek chief who illegally signed the Second Treaty of Indian Springs; was murdered by his tribesmen for his actions

Creek Indians

Native American Tribe that lived in southern Georgia; removed from the state through a series of treaties, such as the Treaty of New York and the Treaty of Indian Springs

Cherokee Indians

Native American tribe that lived in northwestern Georgia; relocated to Oklahoma after signing the Treaty of New Echota, forcefully removed during the Trail of Tears

John Ross

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Indians who tried to use legal means to fight against removal

Sequoyah

inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary written language

Dred Scott Case

Supreme Court ruling in 1857 that declared slaves were not citizens of the United States and were considered property by their owners

Abraham Lincoln

Elected president in 1860 as an abolitionist; created the Emancipation Proclamation; gave the Gettysburg Address; preserved the Union during the Civil War; developed the Presidential Reconstruction Plan; assassinated at the end of the Civil War

William T. Sherman

Union General; led a military campaign to capture Atlanta; also led the March to the Sea to Savannah to weaken the Confederacy

Alexander Stephens

Georgia politician who was a U.S. Senator, Georgia Governor, and Vice-President of the Confederate States of America (C.S.A)

Sharecroppers

Farmers who agreed to work on a landowner's property in exchange for land, farming equipment, and seed; they were required to provide the landowner with a share of the crop

Tenant Farmer

Farmers who agreed to work on a landowner's property who were required to provide the landowner with a share of the crop; unlike sharecroppers, they owned their own farming equipment

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist organization created to intimidate and prevent freedmen, carpetbaggers, scalawags, and Radical Republicans from gaining economic, social, and political power in the South

Bourbon Triumvirate

Three powerful politicians (Joseph E. Brown, Alfred H. Colquitt, and John B. Gordon) who dominated Georgia politics for over 20 years

W.E.B. Dubois

civil rights leader who fought for immediate social and political rights for African-Americans; founder of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

Henry Grady

editor for the Atlanta Journal newspaper who promoted the concept of "New South"; persuaded northern investors to rebuild Atlanta and the Georgia economy

Alonzo Herndon

former slave, sharecropper, barber, owner of rental houses, and founder of the Atlanta Mutual Life insurance company. A symbol of economic success for African-Americans

Populist Party

A short lived political party (1892-1908) made up of rural farmers that supported agricultural and were against the New South movement and industrialization. Georgian Tom Watson was a leader and presidential candidate for the party

Plessy v. Ferguson

U.S. Supreme Court case that established the separate but equal doctrine, thus promoting segregation

Booker T. Washington

educator, author, political activist, and orator; promoted the idea that African-Americans should pursue economic and educational endeavors before seeking social and political equality. Gave the famous Atlanta Compromise speech at the international Cotton Exposition

Eugene Talmadge

four time Georgia governor that fought against Roosevelt's New Deal policies; was a strict segregationist; the "three governor's controversy" began after his death following his election as governor in 1946

Franklin D. Roosevelt

32nd president of the United States; created many New Deal programs during the Great Depression; had close ties to Georgia and died at his Georgia home, "The Little White House," in Warm Springs

Carl Vinson

known as the "father of the two ocean navy"; brought shipyards to Savannah and Brunswick; Georgia Congressman who was an advocate for a strong U.S. military; served 25 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, making him the longest serving Congressmen in U.S. history

Richard Russell

Georgia governor and influential long term U.S. senator. Responsible for bringing many military bases to Georgia; School Lunch Program; the CDC; but was also a segregationist who opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Ivan Allen Jr.

mayor of Atlanta who was instrumental in the development of the city, bringing major league sports teams to Atlanta, and a key figure in the civil rights movement

William B. Hartsfield

Atlanta's longest serving mayor who was instrumental in developing the airport

Maynard Jackson

First African-American mayor of a major southern city (Atlanta); would also help bring the Olympic Games to Atlanta; expanded the Atlanta airport

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Important civil rights leader; winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Civil rights organization by college students that urged non-violent protests to gain integration

Andrew Young

Important civil rights leader who served as a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Mayor of Atlanta; was also instrumental in bringing the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta

Jimmy Carter

Only United States President from Georgia; also a Georgia state senator and governor; winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Citizens

legal residents that have guaranteed rights protected by the Georgia and U.S. Constitutions, but also have responsibilities like paying taxes, obeying laws, serving on a jury, and voting

Floor Leader

A representative whose role is to promote the interest of the Governor on the house floor

Legislator

A politician elected by members (constituents) of their district; they represent the political views of the people when passing legislation (laws).

Georgia State Representative

A member of the Georgia House of Representatives; must be 21 years of age, a resident of Georgia and their district for two years, and a U.S. citizen

Georgia State Senator

A member of the Georgia Senate; must be 25 years of age, a resident of Georgia and their district for two years, and a U.S. citizen.

Majority Leader

Leader who is responsible for making sure members of his or her party vote for bills and agendas that the majority party favors

Minority Leader

Leader who is responsible for making sure members of his or her party vote for bills and agendas that the minority party favors

Speaker of the House

Presiding officer of the House of Representatives who is voted by members of the House

Governor

Head of the executive branch of the state; responsible for overseeing the departments of the executive branch

Lieutenant Governor

Second highest office of the executive branch; presides over the Georgia senate and takes the role of the governor if the governor leaves the state; will take over the office if the governor dies or is impeached

Defendant

Person or group being charged for a wrong doing (suspect); or a person being sued by a plaintiff

Delinquent

A minor 17 years of age or younger who has been charged with wrong-doing

Grand Jury

A group of citizens who look over evidence to determine if a suspect should be charged with a crime

Trial Jury

A group of citizens who examine evidence and hear testimony during a trial to determine if a suspect is guilty or not guilty of a crime

Juvenile

A minor who lives under the custody of parent/guardian/state

Board of Commissioners

A group of individuals that have the power to adopt ordinances and oversee the daily operations of a county's government

City Manager

An individual hired by a city government who is responsible for running the day to day operations for the city

County Commissioner

An individual who has the power to adopt ordinances and oversee the daily operations of a county's government

City Council

A group of individuals elected by citizens to vote of legislation, city budgets, and appoint department heads. Their power is weak or strong depending on the type of mayor-council system

Mayor

An individual acting as the city's chief executive officer, administering the city's budget, and vetoing legislation passed by the city council. The mayor's power is determined by the type of mayor-council system

Intake Officer

A law enforcement agent who decides if there is enough evidence to bring a charge against a juvenile

Mercantilism

Economic policy focused on exporting more than importing; colonies shipping raw materials to the mother country of England

Spanish Missions

Churches set up by the Spanish in hopes of converting Native Americans to Christianity

Charity

One of the three reasons for Georgia's founding. James Oglethorpe and the Trustees hoped to bring debtors and England's "worthy poor" to the colony to begin new lives

Economics

One of the three reasons for Georgia's founding. The English hoped that Georgia would be able to produce wine, rice, silk, and indigo

Defense

One of the reasons for Georgia's founding was to create a "buffer colony" to protect from Spanish Florida

Charter of 1732

The document that formally established the colony of Georgia; outlines the reasons for Georgia's founding and the regulations set up by the Trustees

Trustee Period

Time period when Georgia was governed by the Trustees. The Trustees created many regulations (rules), including a ban on slavery, liquor, lawyers, and Catholics

Royal Period (Colony)

The period in Georgia beginning in 1752 after the Trustees gave authority of the colony to the king.

French and Indian War

war between England and France for control of North America. The English won the war and gained a large area of North America from the French, but forced the American colonists to pay taxes to pay down to war debt, which became a cause of the American Revolution

Proclamation of 1763

Royal proclamation that forbade English colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains

Declaration of Independence

Three part document that discusses natural rights, explains the wrongs committed by King George, and offers an official declaration of independence from England

Battle of Kettle Creek

(February 14, 1779) A small Revolutionary War battle in Georgia where Patriot forces, led by Elijah Clarke, defeated 600 Loyalists; one of the few Patriot victories in the state

Siege of Savannah

A failed attempt by the French and Americans to recapture Savannah during the Revolutionary War

Stamp Act

a tax on all legal documents, newspapers, and other paper products; one of the first direct taxes placed on the colonies by the British Government causing much protest amongst the colonies

Articles of Confederation

The first written constitution of the United States that united the colonies (states) together to fight against the British; after the Revolutionary War; its many weaknesses made it necessary for the states to hold a Constitutional Convention

Constitutional Convention

A meeting that took place in Philadelphia from May to September 1787; original intent was to revise the Articles of Confederation, but was soon scrapped and a new and improved constitution was written

Georgia Constitution of 1777

Georgia's first state constitution; established three branches of government and basic liberties, though the executive and judicial branch had limited powers

Cotton Gin

Machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 that quickly removed seeds from the cotton fibers

Dahlonega Gold Rush

Site of America's first gold rush in 1828; discovery of gold in the area led to the Cherokee removal

Headright System

Land distribution that provided the head of the family up to 200 acres of free land in the Georgia frontier

Indian Removal Act of 1830

An act signed by Andrew Jackson that required the removal of the Cherokee to Indian Territory in the West

Land Lottery

Land distribution system that gave the average Georgian a chance to buy land at pennies on the dollar

Nullify

to make legally null and void; cancellation of federal law

Railroad

One of the major technological advances in the 19th century; Georgia was one of the leaders in its development in the 1830s and many of Georgia's towns and cities were established due to it

Trail of Tears

Final removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia in 1838; over 4,000 people died on the forced march from Georgia to Oklahoma

Yazoo Land Fraud

Land companies bribed members of the Georgia General Assembly to sell land for pennies on the dollar in the western part of Georgia. Georgia was forced to sell lands west of the Chattahoochee River to the U.S. Government in the Compact of 1802

Worcester vs. Georgia

Landmark Supreme Court case which declared that the Cherokee were sovereign and not subject to the laws of the United States. However, Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the Court's decision and the Cherokee were later removed from Georgia

Missouri Compromise

A compromise that brought Missouri into the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state

Compromise of 1850

A compromise between the North and South that allowed California to enter the union in exchange for the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act that required the northern states to return runaway slaves to the South

Kansas-Nebraska Act

An act that allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide if they wanted to enter the Union as free or slave states (popular sovereignty)

Fugitive Slave Act

An act that required runaway slaves to be returned to their masters if caught anywhere in the United States

Georgia Platform

A position supported by several prominent Georgia politicians who supported the Compromise of 1850

Popular Sovereignty

Allowing political decisions to be made by the vote of the people; concept of the Kansas-Nebraska Act