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US History Event: James Oglethorpe (founder of Georgia) arrived in Charleston, South Carolina with 130 English colonists.
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In 1733 the Treaty of Savannah was officially signed. This signified an agreement by both the Trustees in England and the Native American tribes in Georgia that the Trustees could send colonist to reside on the land that surrounded the soon to be known city of Savannah. This allowed the colony of Georgia to be created. On the date of February 2nd, 1733 the colony of Georgia was officially founded by James Oglethorpe under British Rule and Native agreement.
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US History Event: King George II grants the Ohio Company a grant to settle the Ohio River Valley.
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Originally when the colony of Georgia was created by James Oglethorpe and the Trustees the use and importation of slaves was banned as it did not follow the social and economical goals for the colony. However on this date, the colony of Georgia reversed their original decision and begins allowing slaves in the colony. This reversal of law was due to the fact that the colonist were lazy and unwilling to work as well as the fact that Georgia was not the great militia colony it was intended to be.
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US History Event: The Stamp Act created by British parliament goes into effect in the colonies. The Stamp Act was a tax imposed on stamps needed on newspapers and other legal documents.
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US History Event: The second meeting of the Continental Congress ensues in Philadelphia and paper currency is issued for the colonies.
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Up until this day Georgia as a colony had yet to really join in on the efforts of the Revolutionary War as some Georgians still remained loyal to the British despite the unfair taxes placed on them. However on this day the first acts of Revolutionary War began in Georgia. A group known as the Sons of Liberty broke into the powder magazine in Savannah and commandeered the supplies for the aid of revolutionaries.
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In February of 1777 the first constitution in Georgia was adopted. This constitution gave Georgia a framework to follow to transition as from a colony of England to a state of the United States of America. This constitution lasted for twelve years and included a separation of powers, basic rights for citizens, freedom of religion and press, as well as the right to have a trial by jury.
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US History Event: General George Washington's troops defeated British troops in the Battle of Princeton, New Jersey at a British Outpost.
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US History Event: General A Wayne's American troops defeated British Outpost at Fort Stony Point, NY. This battle was a heavy loss for the British and served as an important victory to boost Continental moral.
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During the Revolutionary War Georgia was the only colony that the British were able to recapture. During the siege of Savannah Continental forces were unsuccessful in recapturing the city and the British held the City of Savannah for three years. This battle was known as the second deadliest battle during the Revolutionary War.
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Georgia's founder James Oglethorpe dies at age of 88. While his original plan for Georgia was unsuccessful he was successful in helping the people of England who were poor, or indebted by giving them land in the colonies of America.
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US History Event: Shay's Rebellion happened in Springfield, Massachusetts. This was a time when farmers and former revolutionary war soldiers attacked government properties in opposition to economic policies that led to poverty and foreclosures on property.
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US History Event: Rhode Island becomes the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.
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Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution after an unanimous vote of a special convention in Augusta.
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The inventor of the cotton gin, Eli Whitney applied for a patent for the cotton gin and it was granted on this date. The cotton gin revolutionized the cotton industry in Georgia by making the process of separating the cotton from the seeds much faster. This allowed the cotton industry to bloom and become Georgia's main economic support. This was also one of the reasons leading to the Civil War as well as the push for removal of Native's.
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US History Event: Congress bans US vessels from supplying slaves to other countries.
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The deerskin trade was no longer profitable to the economy of Georgia especially with the growth of the cotton industry. The growing cotton industry fed the greed for more land, especially that of the Natives. Unlike other tribes located din Georgia at the time the Creeks were not as willing to assimilate and by 1827 all of the Creek land was ceded to Georgia and Creeks were relocated to the Indian Territory.
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US History Event: Slavery in New York was abolished when the last slaves were freed.
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The first person to find gold in Georgia is unknown but on this date the paper known as the Milledgeville Times published a notice notifying the public of the discovery of gold in Habersham County. This led to a flood of people searching for gold as well as land in the area. Unfortunately this land belonged to the Cherokee Indians and this new discovery soon led to the removal of the Cherokee Indians.
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US History Event: President Jackson makes an offer to buy Texas but it is turned down by the Mexican Government.
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The Treaty of New Echota was signed giving Georgia the legal basis to begin the Trail of Tears. The agreement of the Treaty was $5 million plus land in Oklahoma to the Cherokee Indians in return for their 7 million acres of land. Many Cherokees opposed the treaty although it was still ratified and many natives chose not to leave despite the agreement which is what led to the Trail of Tears.
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US History Event: Cherokee Indian tribes are forced from land East of the Mississippi and moved to Oklahoma.
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US History: Delaware legislature rejects the proposal to join the confederacy.
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Georgia becomes the fifth state to secede from the Union. After Abraham Lincoln's inauguration due to his anti-slavery campaign. Georgia was the largest and most populated southern state so their secession was crucial to the confederacies success in seceding. Georgia along with the other states seceding led to the Civil War.
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US History Event: This day was the day the second session of the Congress of the Confederate States of America convened.
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This day began Sherman's destructive March to the Sea across Georgia. The march lasted a total 285 mile, the Unions goal was to scare the Confederacy and to show that they did not have enough support to take on the Union. On the course of the march the troops destroyed food saves and burned fields leaving the Confederacy without necessary supplies. They also captured Atlanta which was the railroad hub at the time which blocked supplies from coming into the Confederacy.
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Sherman's march to the sea reaches Georgia's capital at the time which was the city of Milledgeville. Troops overtook the city including the capital driving out Confederacy government.
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US History Event: Confederate states plot to burn New York City fails.
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Following the Civil War several constitutional amendments were made to aid in reconstruction of the United States as a whole. One of these was the 14th amendment that granted citizenship and equal rights to African Americans who were previously enslaved. President Jackson said that previous confederate states could chose to ratify or reject amendments and part of the US, and on this day Georgia rejected the 14th amendment to the US Constitution.
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Atlanta becomes the new capital of Georgia. Atlanta was chosen for the capital of Georgia following Milledgeville not because of it was the largest city but because it had become a central hub for the state, especially rail transportation. Atlanta still stands as the capital today.
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US History Event: House of Representatives vote 126 to 47 to impeach President Andrew Johnson
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US History Event: On this day the first black man was elected to the US Congress from the state Louisiana
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US History Event: The 15th amendment to the US Constitution is adopted guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race.
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Georgia becomes the last confederate state to be readmitted to the Union. This was actually Georgia's second readmission to the Union after dispute over having black members on state legislature.
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Jim Crow Laws are adopted in Georgia. These laws allowed legal separation, or segregation of blacks and whites in public facilities. This also led to discrimination as well as denied right to vote. But the unfairness of these laws led to the start of the Civil Rights movement to change how this group of people was treated.
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US History Event: The United States Congress creates the Court of Appeals.
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On this day Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr was arrested in Atlanta. Protesters held a sit in in a store named the Magnolia Room where African-Americans could shop but not try on clothes or sit down at a table. While many protesters were released King was held on a former traffic charge, however due to fear of lynching President JFK's team worked hard and King was released soon after.
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Georgian Jimmy Carter was elected the 39th President of the United States by the democratic party. He won with 297 votes in the electoral college. Prior to presidency he served as both a state senator and a governor in Georgia.
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The United States performs nuclear tests in Nevada.
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Atlanta won the bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics. With this event Atlanta was hoping to promote Atlanta as an international city and show they could play a role in global commerce. Hosting the Olympics had a wonderful economic impact on Atlanta as well as promoting the views of Atlanta.
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US History Event: Bill Clinton begins his second term of which he is impeached before he can finish.
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Georgia adopts a new US flag that does not include the former Confederacy flag. In the 1990's the NAACP complained that the Georgia flag was offensive to African-Americans due to it containing the Confederate Battle Flag. A public vote was raised and Georgians voted by slightly over 73% that the flag would be changed the the current design not containing the Confederate battle flag but still paying due to Georgia's history.
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US History Event: The United States officially begins the Iraq War.
