Courtesy of Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Events
The natural disasters, acts of war, and political scandals that shaped Georgia’s history.
The 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane
One of the deadliest hurricanes in American history made landfall south of Tybee Island on August 27, 1893. Word of the incoming storm spread through coastal Georgia by telegraph, word of mouth, and in rare cases, the telephone. But remote communities were less fortunate. The Sea Islands, home to more than 30,000 African Americans, were only accessible by boat and did not receive warnings about the oncoming storm.
Sample Primary Sources
Georgia Historic Newspapers
The 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre
During the 1906 governor’s race, candidates Clark Howell and Hoke Smith used their newspapers to sway public opinion and stoke resentment of African Americans. These sensationalized reports were the catalyst for the Atlanta Race Massacre, which swept the city from September 22 to 24. Responding to incendiary newspaper headlines, thousands of white men gathered downtown and the mob turned violent, killing dozens of Black Atlantans and destroying many Black-owned businesses.
Sample Primary Sources
Digital Library of Georgia – Atlanta Race Riot AND 1906
Digital Library of Georgia – Hoke Smith
Georgia Historic Newspapers – Atlanta Race Riot AND 1906
Georgia Historic Newspapers – Hoke Smith, Clark Howell, AND Georgia election
1996 Olympics
After competing against some of the world’s most renowned cities, Atlanta won the right to host the 1996 Summer Olympics. The event brought praise and criticism alike to Georgia’s capital. The city revitalized many buildings and pedestrian areas, but international journalists encountered frustrating transit delays. Despite problems with the event—including a fatal bombing at Centennial Olympic Park—many benefits of the games are still visible today, including improved streets, sidewalks, housing, and park space.
Sample Primary Sources
Digital Library of Georgia
Cherokee Removal
Between 1838 and 1839, thousands of Cherokees were forced to march from Georgia to present-day Oklahoma, an event later named the “Trail of Tears.” Georgia settlers and political leaders pressured the federal government to take Cherokee lands and relocate the Cherokee to the West. Though Cherokee Principal Chief John Ross and his supporters resisted removal, three opposing Cherokee chiefs secretly met and signed Cherokee lands away to the U.S. government in the Treaty of New Echota. The government used the treaty to seize Cherokee lands and expel the Native population.
Sample Primary Sources
Digital Library of Georgia
Georgia Historic Newspapers
Georgia Secession Convention of 1861
In 1861 Georgia became the fifth state in the South to hold a secession convention, deciding whether or not to remain a part of the United States. The decision was hotly debated between wealthy southern planters who sought to preserve slavery and many others who wished to stay in the Union. Because of Georgia’s agricultural prosperity and political sway, the state’s secession accelerated the start of the Civil War. The first clash began less than three weeks after Georgia’s decision to secede.
Sample Primary Sources
Digital Library of Georgia
Georgia Historic Newspapers
Gold Rush
In 1829, rumors of gold struck northern Georgia, sparking a thirst for adventure and opportunity in working-class white men. Later that year, the region—also known as the Cherokee Nation—became a hotspot for prospectors from across America, each looking to find their own bit of Georgia gold. The intrusion of prospectors came at a high cost, as the hunt became a catalyst for the forced expulsion of the Cherokee people.
Sample Primary Sources
Digital Library of Georgia
Georgia Historic Newspapers – Dahlonega/Auraria 1829-1865
Georgia Historic Newspapers – Gold Rush 1829-1865
Yazoo Land Fraud
In the wake of the Revolutionary War, Georgia found the upkeep of its land claims in the west, known as the Yazoo Land, a burdensome responsibility. Attempts to sell the land to speculators and rumors of government corruption caught the attention of U.S. Senator James Jackson who returned home, helped investigate the matter, saw that the land sales were dissolved, and arranged for the federal government to purchase the land in 1802.
Sample Primary Sources
Digital Library of Georgia
Georgia Historic Newspapers
