Unit 4 - Westward Expansion

SS8H4: Explain significant factors that affected westward expansion in Georgia between 1789 and 1840.

a. Explain reasons for the establishment of the University of Georgia, and for the westward movement of Georgia’s capitals.

• UGA was the first state university in America to be created by a state government. Read more about it here.
• Georgia has had 5 different state capitals. To learn more about each and the reason for the movement west, read here.

b. Evaluate the impact of land policies pursued by Georgia; include the headright system, land lotteries, and the Yazoo Land Fraud.

• To learn more about the headright system and how it worked for people coming to Georgia, click on this link.
• To learn more about the Land Lottery system used in Georgia, click on this link.
• Click on this link to learn about the Yazoo Land Fraud case.
• Here is another link that further breaks down the Yazoo Land Fraud case and its aftermath in Georgia.

c. Explain how technological developments, including the cotton gin and railroads, had an impact on Georgia’s growth.

• Ely Whitney invented the cotton gin. Click on this link to learn more about Ely Whitney.
• To learn about the cotton gin and how it impacted Georgia's cotton explosion, click on this link.
• Georgia's growth was largely due to the building of railroads. Click on this link to learn more about their impact.

d. Describe the role of William McIntosh in the removal of the Creek from Georgia.

• William McIntosh was the chief of the Creek Indians in Georgia. Click on this link to learn more about him.
• To learn more about the removal of the Creek Indians, click on this link.

e. Analyze how key people (John Ross, John Marshall, and Andrew Jackson) and events (Dahlonega Gold Rush and Worcester v. Georgia) led to the removal of the Cherokees from Georgia known as the Trail of Tears.

• John Ross introduced a republic style government in the Cherokee nation. Click on this link to learn more about Ross.
• Andrew Jackson had a very bad relationship with the Indians in Georgia. Click here to learn more about their troubles.
• Georgia experienced a gold rush of its own in the early 19th century. Click on this link to learn more about it.
• To learn more about the court case Worcester v. Georgia, click this link.
• Click on this link for another copy of the Worcester v. Georgia worksheet that we completed in class.
• For more on the removal of the Cherokee people from the state of Georgia, click on this link.
• To learn more about the Trail of Tears, click on this link.
• Major Ridge is most often blamed for the Trail of Tears. Click on this link to learn why.