Land Policies in Georgia

Learn about Georgia's land policies: Headright, Lottery, and Yazoo Fraud!

Key Terms Creek Indians - American Indian tribe that lived in southern Georgia; was removed from the state through treaties in the 1820s.Headright System - land allocation approach that provided the head of a family up to 200 acres of Freeland in the Georgia frontier.Land Lottery - land allocation approach that gave the average Georgian a chance to buy land at pennies on the dollar.Yazoo Act (1795) - Georgia act signed by Georgia Governor George Mathews that transferred 35 million acres of land in present-day Alabama to four land companies for $500,000; this led to the Yazoo LandFraud.Yazoo Land Fraud - an event where land companies bribed members of the Georgia General Assembly to sell land for pennies on the dollar. Paragraph 1 Introduce The Land Policy of Georgia. When the Revolutionary War ended, Georgia gained control of large amounts of land (MI). Georgia covered a huge area in the southeastern United States. The land stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River (SD1). The leaders of Georgia believed that people should have easy access to owning land. The veterans of the war especially believed this. Dividing up the land was a considerable debate. The three mainland policies were the headright system, lotteries, and Yazoo Land Fraud. (focus) 1. What is the focus of the text? The removal of the Creeks The three land policies Georgia enacted The land policies forced the Creek Indians out of Georgia. Georgia General Assembly committed land fraud. The Thirst for New Land Watch the video The Thirst for New Land 2. What were the three land distribution systems in Georgia? Headright, Yazoo Land Act, and Land Lottery Proclamation of 1763, Yazoo Land Fraud, and Lottery Headright, Articles of Confederation, and Land Lottery Headright, Land Lottery, and Great Compromise The Headright System: Hey Veterans, Here Go Free Land The first attempt to divide the land was known as the headright system (MI). It started in 1783. This system was created to give land to as many people as possible. Veterans could claim the most amount of new land (SD1). They claimed thousands of acres. White men over 21 could claim up to 200 -1000 acres (SD2). Men with enslaved people (10acre each) or families (50 acres per family member) could claim some land (SD3). The headright system ended up not working very well. So many people claimed the land, but there wasn't enough land for all to claim. 3. When did the first land distribution system begin? 1795 1833 1805 1783 4. How was land distributed in the Headright System? Click All that Apply. You must be the head of the household or veteran White male over the age of 21 Will receive 200 acres up to 1000 Each white man will be given 50 acres for each family member and 10 acres for each enslave he owns. Prediction Time The Yazoo Land Act The Yazoo Land Act of 1795 was the second idea to spread land (MI). The Yazoo was a river in Mississippi. Under this land act, the land that would become Mississippi and Alabama was sold to four land companies for 500,000 (SD1). This act was infested (overrun to an unwanted degree ) with fraud and bad deals. The men who represented the land companies bribed the politicians to sell them the land (SD2). The citizens and some politicians were outraged. The legislature repealed the Yazoo Land Act by passing the Rescinding Act of 1796 and regaining the land (SD3). The land was then sold to the U.S. government. Controversy (disagreement) still swirled around the Yazoo Land, so in 1802, an agreement was worked out between Georgia and the United States government. The agreement stated that Georgia would cede to the United States its land west of the Chattahoochee in exchange for $1.25 million and the removal of the Creek Indians from Georgia (SD4). The Creek Indians were an American Indian tribe that lived in the land that Georgia controlled. This act is referred to as theYazoo Land Fraud due to the fuss surrounding it. James Jackson was a senator from Georgia who was firmly against the Yazoo Land Act and its corruption. Jackson even set a copy of the document on fire to show his and the people of Georgia's opposition (objection). 5. Which of the following synonyms is closest to the meaning of the word opposition from the text? Harmony Kindness Agreement Objection 6. What happens to the Yazoo Land Act? It was scuccessful in distributing the new land. It was canceled after land companies attempted to bribe politicians. it failed due to too many people claiming land. It was removed by the Creek Indians 7. who set a copy of the Yazoo Land Act on fire? Veterans James Jackson Politicans Jimmy Carter 8. What was the U.S. government expected to do after the land was sold to them from Georgia? Create a land lottery for land distribution Bribe politicians to sell land Remove the Creek Indians from Georgia Divide up the land to each claim. The Great Yazoo Land Fraud Please watch the short video and answer the question. 9. What was the capital city during the Yazoo Land Fraud? Atlanta Augusta Louisville Milledgeville 10. Why were people eager to buy undeveloped land? It was cheap land. In 1700s plantations and slave labor were route to wealth in the Atlantic world They want to invest in the stock market. People were moving westward to start new businesses. 11. What were two current states established due to the Yazoo Land Fraud? Florida and Tennessee Kentucky Tennessee Mississippi and Alabama Missouri and Illinois Here! Here! The Quarterly Lottery is Upon Us. The last idea to distribute the rest of the land was a land lottery system (MI).Between 1805 and 1833, Georgia offered eight land lotteries. These lotteries allowed the average Georgian to gain a large amount of land for pennies on the dollar (SD1). For the cost of a ticket, many average white people could enter the lottery for a chance to claim land. To participate in a land lottery, a person must submit their name to the state and pay for a ticket (SD2). On the day of the lottery, the participants’ names were placed in one drum, while the land lots bearing a number would be placed in a second drum. Participants could have their names placed in the drum more than once based on characteristics such as age, marital status (married or widow), and war service (SD3). The land lotteries gave three-quarters of Georgia’s land to 100,000 families. The land lotteries proved to be the fairest and best of the three methods of distributing Georgia’s land. How Native American land was divided up in a land lottery Please watch the short video on Land Lotteries and answer the questions below. 12. Georgia's land lotteries impacted which Native American group. Yamcraw Indians Seminole Indians Cherokee Indians Creek Indians 13. What treaty did the federal government sign to remove the Cherokees from their land? Treay of Indian Springs 1821 Treaty of New York 1790 Second Treay of Indian Springs 1825 Treaty of New Echota 1835 14. When did the land lottery occur? 1783-1833 1783-1795 1805-1833 1795-1833 15. What was the most successful of the land distribution systems? Land Lotteries Yazoo Land Act Headright System Creek Indian lottery 16. What allowed you more entries into the land lottery system? Age (21 up) War Service (Veteran) Martital Status including a widow All of the above Land Distribution Systems Read the information in each category, determine which Georgia land policy is being described, and indicate rather the land policy was successful or not. Category Headright System Yazoo Land Act Land Lottery Time Period of the land policy 1983 to 1794 1795-1804 1805 to 1833 Short Explanation of the land policy The headright system enticed white males to Georgia after the Revolutionary war and gave land to white men that claimed it. A fraudulent act by the General Assembly took money from four large land companies in return for selling land for pennies on a dollar. As a result of the bribery, Georgia sold the land to the federal government for 1.25 million dollars and split the land into current-day Mississippi and Alabama. Georgia offered 8 land lotteries that people could earn a ticket to claim land. This was the most fairest way to distribute land. Who could claim land? Only white males who head the household, males over 21, and veterans could claim land. Each veteran received up to 1000 acres and additional acres per family member and enslaved people Men were under the large land companies that bribed Georgia's politicians to the right to claim the land. Average white settlers including women could enter the lottery. Where the land policy successful? No No Yes