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SS8H4 Explain significant factors that affected westward expansion in Georgia between 1789 and 1840.
SS8H4 Explain significant factors that affected westward expansion in Georgia between 1789 and 1840.
b. Evaluate the impact of land policies pursued by Georgia; include the headright system, land lotteries, and the Yazoo Land Fraud.
b. Evaluate the impact of land policies pursued by Georgia; include the headright system, land lotteries, and the Yazoo Land Fraud.
H4b - Land Policies
Watch the video session and fill in your digital interactive notebook
H4b-Land Policies.mp4Land Policies of Georgia
Land Policies of Georgia
Headright System
Headright System
As the name states, it is the head of the family who gets the land.
The land was given to soldiers who had fought during the American Revolution, but men who did not fight also had a chance. White men over 21 could get up to 200 acres of land. If they had families they could receive more.
The headright system ended when there wasn't enough land to give away.
Yazoo Land Fraud
Yazoo Land Fraud
The Yazoo land fraud sold what we now know as Mississippi and Alabama to a land company. Shortly after it was found out that members of the Georgia General Assembly were bribed to sell the land to the land company. This upset Georgians and they fought the sale. The sale eventually went through.
One member of the General Assembly, James Jackson, stepped down from his seat and fought the act. Jackson declared the Yazoo Land Act invalid and ended burning the act on the courthouse steps. In 1802, Georgia gave up the land from the Yazoo Land At to the U.S. Government .
Land Lottery
Land Lottery
Just like today, it was a chance, a chance to win land. Every free white male had a chance. You buy a ticket and your name would be in the drawing. Your name could be in the drawing more than once based on things like age, marital status, and war service. The land lotteries gave most of Georgia’s land to 100,000 families.
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