LAND FEVER IN GEORGIA

A

fter the Revolutionary War, GA gained access to the land of those

who sided with the British.

W

ar veterans and political leaders believed that all citizens had the

right to land ownership.

W

hat was the best way to allocate the land to the people of the

state?

LAND LOTTERIES: WHAT WAS IT?

8

land lotteries – Citizens could purchase

a ticket and enter for a chance to win

land in Georgia.

WHO WAS ABLE TO GAIN LAND?

A

ny average Georgian was able to gain a large amount of land.

T

hey would submit their name to the state and pay for a ticket.

T

hey could have their name submitted more times based on

their age, marital status, and war service.

HOW MUCH LAND WAS GIVEN?

T

hese lotteries gave 3 quarters of

Georgia’s land to 100,000 different

families.

LOUISVILLE

W

hat is it? – The 3rd capital of Georgia. It was located in the

center of Georgia’s population, which had moved further

west.

W

hy did they think it would be a successful capital? –

Georgia wanted the new capital to serve as a trading

epicenter because of its location on the Ogeechee River.

LOUISVILLE: WHY WASN’T IT SUCCESSFUL?

M

alaria outbreak.

T

rouble navigating the Ogeechee River as a trading

post.

P

eople were moving further northwest.

THE HEADRIGHT SYSTEM: WHAT WAS IT?

W

hite males counted as a “head” of the

family and had the right to receive up

to 1,000 acres.

WHO WAS ABLE TO GAIN LAND?

W

hite males, 21+ years old were able to gain up to 200

acres of land.

M

en who had families or slaves could receive even more.

T

hey also gave land to men who fought in the

Revolutionary War (ex: Austin Dabney).

YAZOO ACT/LAND FRAUD

W

hat was it?• 4 land companies bribed members

of the General Assembly to pass a bill where land would be sold to the land companies for $500,000.

WHY DID PEOPLE PROTEST?

T

he public found out and protests broke out all over

the state.

T

hey were angered the land was being sold.

C

itizens wanted the legislators to resign.

RESULTS OF YAZOO LAND FRAUD

S

ince the public was so angered by the Yazoo Act,

they voted the legislators out of office.

T

he new legislators who were voted into office

repealed the law and burned all records of the

sale.

RESULTS OF YAZOO LAND FRAUD

M

any people had bought land from the land companies and wanted

to keep their land.

G

eorgia basically “gave” the land to the US government for $1.25

million.

G

eorgia paid $4 million to the land buyers that were victims of the

fraud.