Georgia History Overview

A comprehensive set of question-and-answer flashcards covering Georgia’s prehistory to modern developments.

When does Georgia’s human history begin and what is this era called?

More than 13,000 years ago, during the Paleoindian Period.

What lifestyle characterized Paleoindian peoples in Georgia?

They were nomadic hunter-gatherers who used distinctive stone tools to follow large game.

What major shift occurred during Georgia’s Archaic Period (8000–1000 BCE)?

People formed semi-permanent settlements and relied more on fishing, gathering, and small-scale horticulture.

Name two cultural developments of the Woodland Period (1000 BCE–900 CE).

Construction of ceremonial mounds and development of pottery supported by agriculture in semi-permanent villages.

What defined Mississippian societies in Georgia (800–1600 CE)?

Complex chiefdoms with large towns, maize agriculture, social hierarchies, and mound sites such as Etowah and Ocmulgee.

Which Spanish explorer passed through Georgia in 1540?

Hernando de Soto.

During which century did English traders from South Carolina establish trade in Georgia?

The 1600s.

In what year was Georgia established, and what number colony was it?

1732; it was the thirteenth and last of the original colonies.

Who founded Georgia, and what three things were initially banned?

James Oglethorpe; slavery, rum, and lawyers were banned.

What battle at Fort Frederica repelled Spanish Florida forces?

The Battle of Bloody Marsh.

When did Georgia become a royal colony?

1752.

Name two key Revolutionary War battles fought in Georgia.

The Battle of Kettle Creek and the Siege of Savannah.

When did Georgia ratify the U.S. Constitution?

1788.

What was the Yazoo Land Fraud of 1795?

An illegal sale of vast tracts of Georgia land to private companies.

Where and when was the first U.S. gold rush?

Dahlonega, Georgia, in 1828.

In what year was the University of Georgia chartered?

1785.

Which Georgia institution became the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women, and when?

Wesleyan College, founded in 1836.

Which Supreme Court case tried to protect Cherokee sovereignty in Georgia?

Worcester v. Georgia (1832).

What forced relocation of the Cherokee resulted from Georgia’s policies in the 1830s?

The Trail of Tears.

How did railroads transform Georgia in the 19th century?

They stimulated economic growth and led to the rise of Atlanta as a transportation hub.

In what year did Georgia secede from the Union?

1861.

Who from Georgia served as Vice President of the Confederacy?

Alexander Stephens.

Which Union general led the Atlanta Campaign and March to the Sea?

William T. Sherman.

What notorious Civil War prison was located in Georgia?

Andersonville Prison.

Which federal agency helped formerly enslaved people during Reconstruction?

The Freedmen’s Bureau.

What happened to Black legislators in Georgia’s General Assembly in 1868?

They were expelled from their seats.

In what year was Georgia readmitted to the Union?

1870.

Who were the “Bourbon Triumvirate,” and what did they promote?

A trio of conservative Democratic leaders who championed industrial growth and white supremacy after Reconstruction.

Which Atlanta journalist advocated a “New South” based on industry and reconciliation?

Henry Grady.

What agricultural system trapped many Georgia farmers in poverty after Reconstruction?

Sharecropping and tenant farming.

Who led the Populist Party in Georgia and fought for poor farmers?

Thomas E. Watson.

List two tactics Georgia used to disenfranchise Black voters under Jim Crow.

Poll taxes, literacy tests, and the white primary (any two).

What major incident of racial violence erupted in Atlanta in 1906?

The Atlanta Race Riot.

Whose 1915 lynching near Atlanta drew national attention to antisemitism and mob violence?

Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent.

Which pest and economic crisis devastated Georgia’s cotton industry in the early 20th century?

The boll weevil infestation and the Great Depression.

How did New Deal programs impact Georgia?

They provided jobs, relief, and infrastructure projects that stimulated the economy.

Name two World War II industries that boosted Georgia’s economy.

Bell Aircraft plant in Marietta and shipyards in Savannah and Brunswick.

Which Georgia native became a national leader of the civil rights movement?

Martin Luther King Jr.

What 1965 law dramatically increased Black voter registration in Georgia?

The Voting Rights Act of 1965.

What global event did Atlanta host in 1996?

The Summer Olympic Games.

Name two modern industries that have expanded Georgia’s economy since the 1970s.

Film production and automobile manufacturing.

Which three states are involved in ongoing water-rights disputes with Georgia?

Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.