-
1730-US History
The Great Awakening -
1730-Georgia History
James Oglethorpe and 20 associates petition King George II for a royal charter to establish a colony southwest of Carolina -
1736-Georgia History
Fort Frederica was built on St. Simons Island. John Wesley's arrived brother Charles arrived at Frederica to serve as James Oglethorpe‘s secretary. After the building of Frederica, James Oglethorpe returned to England to report to the Georgia Trustees in person. -
1736-US History
The Chickasaw Wars -
1750-US History
Iron Act -
1750-Georgia History
William Stephens resigned as president of the Georgia colony; Henry Parker had been named vice-president. And the prohibition on slavery in Georgia was abolished, though it would not officially go into effect until Jan. 1, 1751. -
1768-Georgia History
Further dispute between the colonists and the royal government eventually led to royal governor James Wright dissolving the General Assembly. Benjamin Franklin was appointed as Georgia’s colonial agent; his duty being “to represent, solicit, and transact the affairs of this province in Great Britain.” -
1768-US History
Merchants in Boston and New York boycott British goods -
1775-US History
English Parliament declares Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion -
1775-Georgia History
Patriot delegates attended Georgia’s first provincial congress to discuss options for opposing the Intolerable Acts passed by Parliament the previous year. They urged the Commons House of Assembly (also in session) to adopt strong resolutions. Noble Wimberly Jones, Archibald Bulloch, and John Houstoun were elected as delegates to attend the Second Continental Congress. -
1776-US History
Congress advises the colonies to form governments for themselves and refer to the change from Colonies to States. -
1776-Georgia History
On this day the Declaration of Independence was formally signed by all the delegates to the Second Continental Congress, including the three Georgia delegates remaining - Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton. On the 8th a copy of the Declaration of Independence reached Savannah; Archibald Bulloch read it to the Council of Safety. It was then read to the citizens of Savannah on August 10. -
1793-Georgia History
Eli Whitney while living in Georgia learned that cotton was not a big cash crop because producing it was so labor intensive. So he started to devise a machine that would do the same thing, but faster and more efficiently. In June of 1793 he applied for a patent on his machine - the cotton gin. It would revolutionize agriculture in the South, making the mass production of cotton possible. Unfortunately it would also help lead to the need for more slaves to plant, and harvest the cotton. -
1793-US History
Fugitive Slave Act passed -
1803-US History
Louisiana Purchase Treaty -
1803-Georgia History
Governor John Milledge signed Georgia’s first land lottery act; the first drawing for the lottery would take place two years later. The General Assembly appointed a commission to find a site for a new state capital. The site would be located at the head of the navigation of the Oconee River, and would be named Milledgeville. -
1812-US History
War of 1812 begins -
1812-Georgia History
In June 1812 news reached Georgia that the United States had declared war on Great Britain. This marked the official beginning of the War of 1812. David Blackshear was given the responsibility of defending Georgia’s southern and western borders, primarily from Indians allied with the British. -
1830-US History
Indian Removal Act and Oregon Trail opens -
1830-Georgia History
Cherokee leader Major Ridge, with the permission of the federal government, evicted whites illegally settling on Cherokee lands. The action angered Georgia politicians. Georgia governor George Gilmer signed an act claiming for Georgia all the Cherokee territories within the boundaries of Georgia. The act further divided the territory into four sections, directed its surveying, and provided for a system of distributing the land by lottery. -
1857-Georgia History
Joseph Emerson Brown was elected and sworn in as Georgia governor; he would remain in office throughout the Civil War. He was one of the most successful politicians in the state's history and the father of two-term governor Joseph M. Brown. -
1857-US History
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Dred Scott decision -
1860-Georgia History
Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown addressed a joint session of the Georgia legislature, in which he called for a statewide convention to consider what action Georgia should take, but warned that any action should include “no more compromise.” The citizens of Savannah left little doubt how they felt, as they held a secession demonstration, even displaying a secession flag. On November 13, Robert Toombs gave an ardent speech in favor of secession before the Georgia General Assembly. -
1860-US History
On November 6, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the Unites States. -
1875-US History
Civil Rights Act of 1875 -
1875-Georgia History
Georgia born Roman Catholic priest James Augustine Healy was named Bishop of the Portland, Maine diocese, making him the first African-American bishop in America. -
1877-US History
Nineteenth President was elected Rutherford Birchard Hayes 1877-1881 -
1877-Georgia History
A constitutional convention drafted and adopted the Georgia Constitution of 1877 to replace the Reconstruction era Constitution of 1868. The Georgia electorate approved the new constitution in December. The most prominent voice at the convention was that of Robert Toombs. This constitution would stand for sixty-eight years, until 1945. -
1901-US History
Twenty - Sixth President of the US was elected, Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 -
1901-Georgia History
The North Georgia Electric Company was incorporated to build a hydroelectric power plant on the Chattahoochee River near Gainesville, Georgia; this would be one of several companies that would later unite to form the Georgia Power Company. -
1908-US History
Oklahoma admission to the US -
1908-Georgia History
An amendment to Georgia’s constitution, designed to disfranchise blacks, passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor the previous year, was approved by Georgia voters. -
1913-US History
The Twenty - Eighth President of the US is Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921 -
1913-Georgia History
One of the most infamous episodes in Georgia history began this year. April 26 Mary Phagan, a young girl who worked at the National Pencil Factory in Atlanta, went to collect her wages, also intending to see the Confederate Memorial Day parade. She did collect her wages, but never made it to the parade; sometime that afternoon she was murdered and her body was left in the basement of the factory. The crime outraged the public, and the police were under intense pressure to make an arrest. -
1917-Georgia History
The county unit system, a special formula for determining the winner of statewide races in political party primaries, was created. Primary races for statewide office would not be determined by popular vote, but rather on a county-by-county basis. -
1917-US History
US enters World War I -
1924-Georgia History
Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived for his first visit in Warm Springs, Georgia. He was searching for a cure for the paralysis left after a polio attack three years earlier. -
1924-US History
Indian Reorganization Act -
1927-US History
Charles Lindbergh makes first trans-Atlantic flight -
1927-Georgia History
“Lindbergh Day” was held in Atlanta. Charles Lindbergh flew the “Spirit of St. Louis” over the city, then landed and left for downtown Atlanta, where a parade was held. Lindbergh addressed 20,000 spirited onlookers and traveled to the Biltmore Hotel for ceremonies with the governor of Georgia and Atlanta’s mayor. Lindbergh had earlier bought a plane and trained for his solo career in Americus, Georgia. -
1929-US History
Great Depression begins -
1929-Georgia History
U.S. Highway 41 was completely paved, meaning drivers could travel from Georgia’s northern border to its southern border on paved roads. -
1931-US History
Empire State Building opens -
1931-Georgia History
The Great Depression continued to deepen in Georgia and across the country following the stock market crash of the previous year.Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Warm Springs twice - in October and November. -
1957-Georgia History
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was organized in Atlanta; its first president was Martin Luther King, Jr. -
1957-US History
Civil Rights Act of 1957 -
1963-US History
President J Kennedy assassinated -
1963-Georgia History
Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested for demonstrating for civil rights in Birmingham, Alabama. While imprisoned there, he penned his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” But King was not finished making history this year - in August he led the March on Washington where, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he delivered his world famous “I Have a Dream” Speech. -
1970-US History
Kent State shootings -
1970-Georgia History
Riots broke out in Augusta, Georgia after the beating death of a 16 year old mentally retarded African-American inmate by two other African-American inmates. A peaceful demonstration was held concerning dealing with juvenile offenders at the Richmond County jail, but at night the protest turned violent, with looting, burning, and people being beaten. The National Guard had to be called in to restore order. Six people were killed and some sixty wounded during the riots.
