Georgia History Midterm

Paleo-Indians

Nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in groups of 30 or less and followed moving game.

Mississippian Period/ Woodland Period

A period from 1000 AD through European contact known for mound-building, development of towns in river valleys, and advanced hierarchical societies.

Cherokee (pre-1700)

Native American tribe with a capital in Georgia, organized into independent towns, sharing a common language and culture.

Creek (pre-1700)

Also known as Muscogee, this tribe had its own laws, powerful confederacy, and interactions with other peoples.

Pedro Menendez

Spanish explorer who met with the Guale tribe in 1566 and established missions along Georgia's coast.

Santa Catalina/St. Catherine's

Spanish settlement attempt in 1521 that lasted only six weeks.

Guale

Native American tribe that lived on the coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina.

Juanillo Revolt

Led by Juanillo in 1597, this was a revolt by the Guale against Spanish cultural imposition.

James Oglethorpe

Soldier and general who founded the colony of Georgia and advocated for the poor in England.

Trustees

Individuals granted by King George II to establish the Georgia colony in 1732.

Tomochichi

Chief of the Yamacraw tribe, who consented to the colonization of Savannah for trade relations.

Savannah

First planned city in America, originally named Yamacraw Bluff, organized around a central square.

Malcontents

Dissatisfied colonists who disagreed with Oglethorpe and the Trustees, publishing critiques of their leadership.

Frederica

Established as Georgia’s southernmost stronghold in 1736.

St. Augustine

Unsuccessful target of Oglethorpe's 1740 expedition against the Spanish.

War of Jenkins' Ear

Conflict beginning in 1739 between England and Spain, triggered by Robert Jenkins' mutilation.

Battle of Bloody Marsh

Key English victory against the Spanish at St. Simon’s Island.

James Wright

Popular third governor of Georgia who served for 18 years and negotiated land treaties with native tribes.

Provincial Congress

Elected body that governed Georgia during the American Revolution.

Siege of Savannah

Battle during the American Revolutionary War where French and American forces attempted to reclaim Savannah.

Augusta

City seized by Tories during the Siege of Savannah.

Tories

Supporters of Great Britain during the American Revolution.

Land bounties

State-granted land to veterans of the Revolutionary War.

Alexander McGillivray

Creek chief who refused to surrender lands to Georgia.

Yazoo Scandal

Corruption involving land companies bribing legislators to sell land at low prices.

1803 Land Lottery

State-created system to distribute land to white settlers.

Milledgeville

City where Georgia's state capital was moved in 1807 following land cessions.

George Troup

Governor of Georgia who oversaw the cession of Creek lands in two treaties.

Treaty of Indian Springs

Agreement in which the Creeks ceded land for equal size area west of the Mississippi.

William McIntosh

Lower Creek leader of mixed heritage who signed controversial land treaties.

Cherokee Phoenix

A reference table or listing of syllables for the Cherokee language.

Sequoyah

Creator of a writing system for the Cherokee language in Georgia.

Indian Removal Act

1830 federal law aimed at relocating Native Americans who agreed to give up their homelands.

Gold Rush of 1828-29

Event that fueled the expulsion of Cherokees from their land due to the discovery of gold.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

U.S. Supreme Court case appealed by the Cherokee in 1831.

Worcester v. Georgia

U.S. Supreme Court case appealed by the Cherokee in 1832.

Treaty of New Echota

1835 treaty forcing the Cherokee to give up lands in exchange for new territory.

John Ross

Leader of the Cherokees during the Indian Removal Act, which was signed without his approval.

Trail of Tears

Forced removal of Cherokees from their lands leading to widespread suffering in 1836.

Eli Whitney

Inventor of the Cotton Gin.

Cotton Gin

Invention by Eli Whitney in 1793 that revolutionized cotton production.

Yeomanry

Men who held or cultivated small estates during the Antebellum period.

Upcountry

The interior regions of Georgia.

Western and Atlantic Railroad

State-owned railroad connecting Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Nullification

Legal rejection of a federal law deemed unconstitutional by a state.

Whigs

Political party in the 1840s and 1850s, comprised of older conservative planters.

Democrats

Political party that was strongest in newer areas and adopted State's Rights philosophy.

Compromise of 1850

Legislation aimed at preventing civil war by addressing territorial and slavery issues.

Fugitive Slave Act

Federal law requiring the return of runaway slaves to their owners, even in free states.

Georgia Platform

Statement supporting the Compromise of 1850 and the Union.

Howell Cobb

Democrat who became Speaker of the House in 1850.

Joseph E. Brown

Governor of Georgia during the Civil War, reformer, and modernizer of infrastructure.

Alexander Stephens

Whig politician from Georgia, Vice-President of the Confederate States of America.

1860 Presidential Election

Abraham Lincoln won the presidency without support from Southern states.

Republican Party

Political party formed in 1854, opposed by many white Georgians.

Secession Convention

Political meeting in Milledgeville that resulted in Georgia's secession from the Union.

Impressment

Forcing individuals into government service, opposed by Governor Brown.

Conscription

Enforced military enrollment, also known as the draft.

Atlanta

Major city in Georgia, key location during the Civil War.

Vicksburg

Strategic city in Mississippi pivotal for control of the Mississippi River.

Chickamauga

Battle occurring on September 19-20, 1863, known for its high casualties.

Atlanta Campaign

Sherman’s military campaign in 1864 aimed at capturing Atlanta.

Kennesaw Mountain

Site of a significant battle during the Atlanta Campaign in 1864.

Jonesboro

Crucial battle where the Union cut the last railroad into Atlanta.

William T. Sherman

Union general best known for his March to the Sea and total war strategy.

Joseph E. Johnston

Confederate general who commanded the Army of Tennessee before being replaced.

John B. Hood

Confederate general who succeeded Johnston and faced heavy losses during the Atlanta Campaign.

March to the Sea

Sherman's campaign from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying resources between November 15-December 21, 1864.