what led to the settlement of augusta georgia

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What was the first settlement in Georgia?

Exploration and Settlement of Georgia. In early 1733, Oglethorpe and a group of settlers arrived at the present site of Savannah. Three years later, another settlement was established at Augusta, inland on the Savannah River. Persistently tense relations with the Spanish culminated in the Battle of Bloody Marsh on St. Simons Island in 1742.

What happened in the colonies of Augusta Georgia?

Colonial Augusta. While slavery was originally banned in the colony by James Oglethorpe, it soon became an integral part of Georgia's history. Under Georgia's new constitution, a new political structure was laid out in 1777; Augusta's parish government was replaced by a county government, Richmond County, named after the Duke of Richmond .

What was the population of Augusta Georgia in 1860?

By 1860 Augusta had a population of 12,493; it was then one of 102 U.S. cities to have a population of over 10,000, and was the second largest city in Georgia. Originally, Augustans welcomed the idea of the Civil War.

How did the Georgia Railroad connect Augusta to Atlanta?

The Georgia Railroad was built by local contractors Fannin, Grant & Co in 1845, giving Augusta a rail link to Atlanta. The railroad connected to the Tennessee River at Chattanooga, Tennessee, thus providing access from inland Georgia to the Mississippi River.

How did the Civil Rights Movement affect Augusta?

Why was Augusta named Augusta?

Why was Fort Augusta used?

What is the Augusta Museum of History?

What was the name of the church that was the site of the Augusta Institute?

What is the second largest city in Georgia?

Why is the Savannah River named Savannah River?

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Why was Augusta established?

Colonial Augusta The job fell into the hands of Noble Jones, who created the settlement to provide a first line of defense against the Spanish and the French. Oglethorpe then named the town Augusta, in honor of Princess Augusta, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales.

Why was Augusta moved?

Savannah and Augusta as Rotating Capitals In January 1783 the General Assembly met in Savannah, but in February the council resolved to move the capital to Augusta so that it would be nearer the growing backcountry.

Have any major events occurred in Augusta Georgia?

1810 - Bank of Augusta established. 1812 - First Presbyterian Church built. 1815 - Catholic church built (approximate date). 1817 - City of Augusta incorporated.

What was Augusta original name?

In 1763, four colonial governors met with representatives from five Indian nations to settle boundaries and establish terms for trade. In 1779, the British captured Fort Augusta during the Revolutionary War and renamed it Fort Cornwallis.

What is Augusta Ga known for?

the Masters Golf TournamentAugusta is perhaps best known as home of the Masters Golf Tournament held the first full week in April. The area is also a center for medicine, manufacturing, and military.

Why did the Georgia capital move?

In January 1783, the General Assembly met in Savannah, but only one month later, the council resolved to move the capital to Augusta, citing the increasing populations in what they referred to as the “backcountry.”

What Indians lived in Augusta Ga?

The Westo Indians, who lived along the Savannah River near Augusta from about 1660 to 1680, were one of the most important Native American groups in the southeastern United States.

Who was Augusta Ga named for?

Princess Augusta of Saxe-GothaColonial Period The city was named for Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales. Carolina traders based in Savannah Town crossed the river and became Augustans. A fort and its garrison protected the town.

Who founded Augusta National?

Bobby JonesClifford RobertsAugusta National Golf Club/Founders

What does the name Augusta mean?

Great, magnificentMeaning:Great, magnificent. If you want baby to know just how great and magnificent they are, an honorable name like Augusta is an obvious choice. This Latin name is the feminine form of Augustus, a title historically borne by Roman emperors and German royalty.

How many Augusta are there in the US?

Thank you Wikipedia, for helping me and hopefully you, learn so many fun and interesting facts about all 17 Augusta's in the United States!

Is Augusta GA a good place to live?

Today, Augusta is home to a thriving culinary scene, and residents show a deep appreciation for the arts and the outdoors. Augusta is also becoming a destination for retirees who want warm weather and a low cost of living.

How much does it cost to be a member at Augusta?

The Augusta National initiation fee — a onetime fee paid upon joining a golf club — is believed to be between $20,000 and $40,000. The monthly dues paid by members are believed to be less than $300, or less than $4,000 annually.

How has Augusta National changed?

Augusta National is no stranger to changes. The 2022 edition of the Masters featured changes to the 11th and 15th holes, with both adding distance along with various other tweaks meant to return the holes to the way they were designed to be played when the course was originally constructed.

Can anyone play at Augusta?

Can I play a round of golf at Augusta National or can I go visit the course? No. Augusta National Golf Club is a private club and is only accessible to club members and their guests. The public may visit the course only during the Masters Tournament and only with the proper ticket or badge.

How much does it cost to play a round of golf at Augusta National?

around $40There are roughly 300 members of Augusta National, and being invited by one of them is the quickest way to get a round in at the famous course. Members are allowed to bring up to four guests on the course at a time, each for a relatively small fee of around $40.

African American Heritage in Augusta | History

African American Heritage. Augusta’s African-American community has played a crucial role in shaping the city’s history and culture. Lucy Craft Laney was one of Georgia’s most influential educators, a woman who rose to educational prominence more than a decade before the end of the Civil War. The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History is dedicated to her legacy.

Old maps of Augusta

Rand McNally Road map: Georgia 1 : 1203840 Rand McNally and Company

History of Augusta, Georgia

History of Augusta, Georgia. Augusta, the county seat of Richmond County, is located at the head of navigation on the Savannah River, about 160 miles east of Atlanta.The future site of Augusta was laid out in 1735 on the orders of General James Oglethorpe, first governor of Georgia.Fort Augusta was constructed on the site in 1736.

When was Augusta founded?

How We Started. Augusta has a rich history dating as far back as the early 1700s. The settlement was established in 1736 by British General James Oglethorpe, and named in honor of the bride of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales.

When did Richmond County merge with Augusta?

In 1996 the City of Augusta consolidated with Richmond County to form Augusta-Richmond County. This consolidated governing body consists of a Mayor and 10 Augusta-Richmond County commissioners. Augusta-Richmond County is one of only three consolidated governments in Georgia.

What is Augusta known for?

Augusta is perhaps best known as home of the Masters Golf Tournament held the first full week in April. The area is also a center for medicine, manufacturing, and military. Area Attractions. History. Augusta Facts and Figures.

What is the capital of Georgia?

Augusta served as the state capital of Georgia from 1785 until 1795, and has many historically significant homes and buildings, such as the Cotton Exchange, established in 1872; the boyhood home of Woodrow Wilson (28th president of the United States); Ezekiel Harris House (1797); George Walton home (signer of the Declaration of Independence) and Springfield Baptist Church, the oldest African American church in America.

What was Augusta known for?

A military town since its beginning as a military outpost in the 1730s, Augusta served as a place of refuge in the French and Indian War and passed back and forth between American and British hands during the Revolution. The city hosted a United States Arsenal beginning in 1819. During the Civil War, it was a center of military preparedness, supplies, industrial output, and support of Confederate troops from the domestic front. The United States government established Camp McKenzie at Augusta during the Spanish American War and Camp Hancock in World War I.

Why was the Augusta Church founded?

As traders populated the town, they brought their wives and began to have children. The desire for a more civilized atmosphere dictated the need for a church. As a British colony, Georgia petitioned the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for a minister after constructing a church building in 1749. The first minister, the Reverend Jonathan Copp, arrived in 1751 and began conducting services according to the rites of the Church of England. After Georgia’s division into parishes in 1756, the Augusta District fell into St. Paul’s Parish and the Augusta church became known as St. Paul’s Church.

What was the name of the town in the South Carolina colony?

By 1739 a fort was completed, and the official surveyor of the colony, Noble Jones , laid out the town. Its colonial plan was similar but not as elaborate as the one used in Savannah. Augusta’s plan focused on one large square or plaza and was four streets deep and three streets wide. Fort Augusta was adjacent to the 40 town lots on the west side near the river. Augusta named two of its original streets for Georgia’s colonial governors: Reynolds Street for John Reynolds, and Ellis Street for Henry Ellis. These streets are still prominent features of the Downtown Augusta, Broad Street, and Pinched Gut Historic Districts.

What was the Augusta cotton exchange?

Set up in 1874, the Augusta Cotton Exchange moved to an impressive permanent headquarters building constructed in 1887 in the Queen Anne style. With the expansion of the Augusta Canal, the city was once again a thriving center of a cotton economy. Cotton warehouses lined Reynolds Street between St. Paul’s Church on the east and 9th Street on the west. One can still find the last cotton warehouses, now converted to restaurants and shops, along 9th Street in the Augusta Downtown Historic District. Mills along the Augusta Canal manufactured cotton goods, including the antebellum Augusta Factory (razed in the 1960s), Enterprise Mill, Sutherland Mill, King Mill, and Sibley Mill.

How many streets were there in Fort Augusta?

Its colonial plan was similar but not as elaborate as the one used in Savannah. Augusta’s plan focused on one large square or plaza and was four streets deep and three streets wide. Fort Augusta was adjacent to the 40 town lots on the west side near the river.

When were streetcars invented in Augusta?

A horse-drawn streetcar was first put into operation in 1866, connecting the neighborhoods that now comprise the Pinched Gut, Augusta Downtown, Broad Street, Harrisburg—West End, and Summerville Historic Districts. In 1890, electrified streetcars provided more access between Augusta’s neighborhoods and its suburbs. This development also sparked Augusta’s tourist industry with the construction of the original Bon Air Hotel in Summerville in 1889-90. The Bon Air attracted wealthy northerners who wanted to escape harsh winters. Soon Summerville had a lively cottage industry of winter boarding houses.

What was the name of the settlement in Georgia named after?

The ensuing settlement was named for Princess Augusta, mother of England’s George III. Augusta, Georgia. During the American Revolution, Augusta was the site of bitter fighting and bloody reprisal, changing hands several times between the British and Americans.

Who was the first Spanish to settle in Georgia?

The area was explored in 1540 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto, but not until 1735 was a fortified fur-trading post established on the site (now marked by a Celtic cross) by James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia. The ensuing settlement was named for Princess Augusta, mother of England’s George III.

What are some of the best preserved Georgian buildings?

Many well-preserved buildings of Georgian and Classic Revival design, notably the Ezekiel Harris House (1797) and the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art (1818) , stand along tree-shaded streets. Downtown Augusta, Georgia.

When was Augusta State University founded?

Augusta State University, originally part of the Academy of Richmond County (1783), was chartered as a college in 1925; in 2013 it merged with Georgia Health Sciences University to become Georgia Regents University, which includes the Medical College of Georgia (founded as the Medical Academy of Georgia in 1828).

When was the capital of Georgia ratified?

The Georgia state convention ratified the U.S. Constitution there on January 2, 1788.

Where is Fort Gordon located?

Fort Gordon, site of the U.S. Army Signal Center and several Signal Corps schools, is located southwest of downtown; and the Savannah River Site, a federal nuclear-weapons facility, is about 15 miles (24 km) southeast in South Carolina.

What were the first attempts to colonize Georgia?

The first effort at colonizing and settling our region by whites was made by the Georgia Trustees under the command of James Oglethorpe. Fort Augusta was established as a settlement and a trading post in 1736. The Indians that lived in our area at that time were predominantly of the Creek and Cherokee Nations, and to a lesser extent Shawnee and Chickasaw tribes. Unlike the vision portrayed by modern media, the Indians of our area were not nomadic. They lived in villages and when they became overpopulated they sent out a portion of their population to form new villages. They were known to be good farmers and had an agrarian life style. All Indians were of necessity avid hunters. The one remaining evidence of this is the abundance of arrowheads that can be found in our area. The Indian existence among the white man was short lived. Diseases, particularly smallpox eradicated much of the tribes. Starvation and hunger took its toll as white settlers took the best agricultural land and trapped or hunted the game that the Indians depended upon. This resulted in clashes between the two factions. The white settlers continually made bargains with the Indians in exchange for territorial concessions only to find that those too were being ignored. After four decades of trade and skirmishes, any American Indian claim to area land ended in 1773, when Creeks and Cherokees signed away more than 1.5 million acres at an Indian congress in Augusta. No doubt many arrowheads have disappeared into the collections of several generations of young boys. Nonetheless arrowheads can still be found. The easiest place to find them is in newly plowed fields. The only problem with most arrowheads found in plowed fields is that many have been damaged or ruined by agricultural equipment. Old spring heads are also a likely spot to find arrowheads. Presumably Indians washed their kills at the springs and many arrowheads may have been lost in the process. I have found arrowheads in most of the counties around Augusta. The best areas for me have been in the areas along the Savannah River, particularly in Burke and Screven Counties. The arrowheads in our area were constructed of chert, flint, and sometimes quartz. If you are looking for arrowheads, check for stone flakes that are of a different color than the surrounding stones. Usually sharp edges are a telltale clue. To make the arrow aerodynamic the stone usually has sharp edges all the way around. Spear heads also have a similar shape but much larger.

How did the Civil War affect the economy of Georgia?

The Civil War had a huge impact on the economy and the civilization of our area. Prior to the Civil War our region of Georgia was largely agrarian and cotton was truly king. It was the crop that brought money into an otherwise only subsistent economy. Since the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, cotton exports to Europe and to the north were the essence of Augusta's wealth. The farming and production of Cotton in the old south was back breaking and hard work, and fueled by an economy of slavery. While it is true that in many cases slavery had a patriarchal flavor, for the most part it was cruel and often inhumane. Sparked by slave uprisings and an increasing rise in the relative size of the population of slaves, slave holders resorted to more heavy handed treatment of slaves to ensure their control. While an individuals wealth might be measured by the number of slaves they held, the risk of revolt was rising. The solution in the minds of the southern states lay in the export of slaves to the new territories, notably Kansas and Missouri. This was bitterly opposed by northern trade unions, who feared that slave labor would be used to compete against their industries. The export of slavery was the primary catalyst that ignited the civil war. The southern states urged that "states rights" would allow each state to make its own decisions with regard to the slavery issue.

Why did the King of England rescind the slavery ban?

Oglethorpe had originally forbidden slavery in Georgia but the King of England rescinded the ban in 1749 at the behest of farmers who pled that they were unable to compete with other states and white men were unwilling to do most of the backbreaking work of rice and cotton farming.

When did slavery end in Georgia?

Slavery was a part of Georgia since 1749. Oglethorpe had originally forbidden slavery in Georgia but the King of England rescinded the ban in 1749 at the behest of farmers who pled that they were unable to compete with other states and white men were unwilling to do most of the backbreaking work of rice and cotton farming. Nonetheless slavery was beginning to subside in Georgia and in all the states until 1793 and the invention of the cotton gin. Suddenly processing cotton for use in clothing was an profitable industry that required a huge labor force. The slave population of Georgia escalated as farmers sought to increase their worth by acquiring, breeding, and increasing their compliments of slaves. According to the census of 1860, the population of Georgia was comprised of 45 percent slaves.

Was the Civil War an economic struggle?

The Civil War was not an idealogical war to end slavery, but an economic struggle between north and south. In retrospect, however, as terrible as the war was, it had the one good effect of ending the terrible practice of slavery.

Who settled in Georgia?

The earliest Europeans in North America, the Spanish, never established any permanent settlements within the region that would become Georgia, as they did in Florida and along the Gulf Coast. Their only attempt to do so, during a naval expedition led by Lúcas Vázquez de Ayllón in 1526, lasted only six weeks. Spanish expeditions moved through the region from the mid-1500s through the 1660s, the most notable of which was Hernando de Soto ’s expedition in 1540. His party’s documentation of various Indian chiefdoms provides some of the best descriptions of native life in Georgia prior to the eighteenth century. The Spanish presence also included Catholic missionaries, who established Santa Catalina de Guale and other short-lived missions at points along Georgia’s coast from 1568 through 1684. These missions played a key role in assimilating the Native American populations of the region into the colonial system.

What was the frontier settlement of Georgia?

The frontier settlement of Georgia was fraught with drama and conflict, from the infamous Yazoo land fraud that dominated state politics for much of the 1790s and beyond, to the gold rush in the north Georgia mountains in the 1830s, the most extensive and profitable gold rush east of the Mississippi River.

How did Georgia experience reconstruction?

Georgians experienced Reconstruction much like the residents of other southern states. The postwar years were filled with political tensions, struggles over federal occupation, and racial violence, with both the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Ku Klux Klan playing as prominent a role in Georgia as in any former Confederate state. More than 460,000 enslaved people were freed in Georgia during and after the war. Sherman was still in Savannah when he issued Field Order No. 15, a radical plan for land redistribution to the emancipated Black populace. The Order, which offered what were ultimately false hopes to freedpeople throughout the South, provides the origin of the term “forty acres and a mule.”

How did the Great Depression affect agriculture?

The Great Depression and the New Deal policies imposed to remedy its effects were equally transformative in their impact on Georgia agriculture. U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt was fully familiar with the plight of rural Georgians from his years of polio treatments at Warm Springs, both prior to and throughout his presidency. Inaugurated in 1933, Roosevelt created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration during his first 100 days in office as an attempt to raise crop prices by lowering agricultural production. An unintended consequence of the policy, however, was to put farmers out of work, causing even greater numbers to seek other means of employment. As a result, rural communities struggled to maintain their populations in the face of dwindling farming income and the lack of industrial job opportunities. Promising a surplus of cheap, nonunion labor and relying on a variety of inducements, some of which were financed by public subscription or deductions from workers’ checks, several Georgia towns succeeded in attracting small, low-wage employers—mostly textile mills —in the 1930s.

Why did the British want Georgia as a buffer zone?

Military concerns were a far more motivating force for the British government, which wanted Georgia (named for King George II) as a buffer zone to protect South Carolina and its other southern colonies against incursions from Florida by the Spanish, Britain's greatest rival for North American territory.

What was the impact of the loss of slave labor in Georgia?

The loss of the slave labor force dealt a severe blow to cotton production, which, compounded by a decline in the demand for cotton worldwide, left Georgia agriculture in dire financial circumstances. Neglected by a government focused on industrial and business opportunities, farmers had no choice but to participate in the tenant and crop lien systems, which imposed an exploitative and stifling credit system. By 1880 45 percent of Georgia’s farmers, Black and white, had been driven into tenancy, and by 1920 two-thirds of farmers worked on land they did not own, most often as sharecroppers.

What was the colony of Georgia?

Its formation came a half-century after the twelfth British colony, Pennsylvania, was chartered (in 1681) and seventy years after South Carolina's founding (in 1663). Georgia was the only colony founded and ruled by a Board of Trustees, which was based in London, England, with no governor or governing body within the colony itself for the first two decades of its existence. Perhaps most striking, Georgia was the only one of the North American colonies in which slavery was explicitly banned at the outset, along with rum, lawyers, and Catholics. ( Jews did not receive explicit permission from the Trustees to join the colony but were allowed to stay upon their arrival in 1733.) Rum was eventually legalized in 1742 and slavery in 1751, marking the weakening of Trustee rule. The colony was governed by royally appointed governors instead of a council of Trustees from 1752 to 1776, ending with the outbreak of the Revolutionary War (1775-83).

When was Georgia a colony?

Royal colonial status was created in 1754 . Despite its weakness, Georgia was a valuable part of the British Empire and was home to a large and vocal Loyalist population on the eve of the War of Independence .

What did the trustees of the Georgia colony do?

The trustees, for their part, hoped to found a colony that would provide a second chance for debtors, and sought to promote hard work by outlawing slavery and liquor. To support stability in the colony, the purchase or sale of land was prohibited - land speculators had caused problems in other areas and were not welcome in Georgia.

What was the name of the battle that ended the Spanish threat in Georgia?

Persistently tense relations with the Spanish culminated in the Battle of Bloody Marsh on St. Simons Island in 1742. Oglethorpe's victory marked the end of the Spanish threat in Georgia.

When did the Georgia colony surrender?

In 1752, the Georgia trustees surrendered their charter, having established a generally successful colony of middle- and small-sized farms. However, Oglethorpe regarded the venture as a failure. The population remained small and weak. Few debtors were brought to the colony, but slavery and alcohol became commonplace.

What was the name of the area in South Carolina that the Spanish called?

This region was known to the Spanish as Guale. In 1663, England reasserted an earlier claim to the area when Charles II granted rights in greater Carolina to the eight “lords proprietor.”. In 1670, the new owners established a settlement at Charles Town in present-day South Carolina.

Who granted the land between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers to the Spanish?

Although the Spanish power center had retreated into Florida, a bloody contest with the English continued for decades. In 1732, George II granted the lands between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers to General James Oglethorpe and a group of other trustees; in gratitude, the trustees named the colony after the king.

Who was the first European to explore Georgia?

In 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was probably the first European to explore what is today Georgia. The French made a brief appearance at this time, but were quickly expelled by Spanish forces from Florida.

Who was the first European to settle in Georgia?

The first Europeans to set foot in Georgia were Spanish conquistadors : it is possible that Juan Ponce de Leon (1460–1521) made it to the coastal reaches of the future state by 1520. The first European colonization was on the coast, probably near St. Catherine's Island, and established by Lucas Vázques de Ayllón (1480–1526). Called San Miguel de Guadalupe, the settlement only lasted a few months before it was abandoned over the winter of 1526–1527 due to illness, death (including its leader), and factionalism.

Who founded the colony of Georgia?

The colony of Georgia was the last of the formally founded colonies in what would become the United States, in 1732 by Englishman James Oglethorpe.

What was the last British colony?

It was not until 1732 that the colony of Georgia was actually created. This made it the last of the 13 British colonies, a full fifty years after Pennsylvania came into being. James Oglethorpe was a well-known British soldier who thought that one way to deal with debtors who were taking up a lot of room in British prisons was to send them to settle a new colony. However, when King George II granted Oglethorpe the right to create this colony named after himself, it was to serve a much different purpose.

What river did Oglethorpe use to get free land?

Its boundaries included all of the lands between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers, including much of present-day Alabama and Mississippi. Oglethorpe advertised in the London papers for poor people who would get free passage, free land, and all the supplies, tools, and food they would need for a year.

Why was the Oglethorpe colony named after himself?

However, when King George II granted Oglethorpe the right to create this colony named after himself, it was to serve a much different purpose. The new colony was to be located between South Carolina and Florida, to act as a protective buffer between the Spanish and English colonies.

Why did Georgia become a colony?

Historian Paul Pressly has suggested that unlike the other colonies, Georgia succeeded in the two decades before Independence because of its connections to the Caribbean and based on an economy of rice supported by the enslavement of Black people.

What was Georgia's unique feature?

Georgia was unique among the 13 British colonies in that no local governor was appointed or elected to oversee its population. Instead, the colony was ruled by a Board of Trustees that was located back in London. The Board of Trustees ruled that Catholics, lawyers, rum, and the enslavement of Black people were all banned within the colony.

What were the contributions of the Augustans?

Augustans made distinctively southern contributions in fields from science to religion. The Medical College of Georgia (later Georgia Health Sciences University ), established in 1828, studied regional diseases and issued The Southern Medical and Surgical Journal. An influential agricultural journal, The Southern Cultivator, was published in Augusta. Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, an Augusta native, wrote a popular series of humorous sketches entitled Georgia Scenes (1835). The Southern Baptist Convention (1845) and the Southern Presbyterian Church (1861) were established in Augusta.

Why did Sherman avoid Augusta?

General William T. Sherman, thinking that Augusta was more heavily defended than it actually was, avoided the city on his march to the sea. As a result the city’s factories and stores revived quickly after the end of the war in 1865. The enlargement of the canal in 1875 permitted the erection of huge new factories, giving employment to thousands. Some of the Chinese laborers who worked on the canal remained in Augusta to establish one of the oldest Chinese communities in the eastern United States.

What tribes lived on Stallings Island?

Still later, three large chiefdoms dominated the central Savannah River valley. Hernando de Soto ’s adventurers found both banks of the river occupied by Uchee Indians in 1540. The first Carolinians encountered the Westo Indians on the left bank of the river in the 1670s. A wandering tribe called the Savannah Indians, armed by a group of Carolinians, drove out the Westos in the Westo War of 1680 and gave their name to the river. Other small bands, including the Appalachees, the Yuchis, and the Chickasaws settled near the fall line. In 1716 the Carolinians constructed Fort Moore to guard Savannah Town, a trading post on the present-day site of North Augusta, South Carolina. From there, Carolina traders carried goods to the distant Creeks and Choctaws.

What did James Oglethorpe learn about the Creeks?

When James Oglethorpe came to Georgia in 1733, he learned that the Creeks resented the unfair trading practices of the Carolinians. He obtained legislation requiring traders west of the Savannah River to secure a Georgia license and, on June 14, 1736, gave orders to lay out the town of Augusta after the forty-lot pattern he had used three years earlier for Savannah. The city was named for Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales. Carolina traders based in Savannah Town crossed the river and became Augustans. A fort and its garrison protected the town. When Oglethorpe arrived in the town in September 1739, after his visit to the Creek Nation, he declared it the key to the Indian country. By regulating the trade, he secured the allegiance of the western Indians. During the 1759-60 Cherokee War the Creeks and Chickasaws helped defend Augusta. In 1763 a congress of Indian nations met four colonial governors in Augusta, concluded the peace, and ceded land between the Savannah and Ogeechee rivers to Georgia.

What was the effect of the royal proclamation of 1763 on the settlement of the Appalachian Mountains?

By restricting settlement to the Appalachian Mountains, the royal proclamation of 1763 fostered migration into the 1763 cession. Friction soon developed between the new settlers and the Native Americans who followed the traditional trails to Augusta. To accommodate the influx of settlers, Governor James Wright negotiated a second land cession at Augusta in 1773. Creek Indian discontent, however, erupted in a series of raids on outlying settlements in 1773 and early 1774. The perception that the royal government favored the merchants and Indian traders rather than the settlers caused many in the backcountry to join the revolutionary movement.

Who signed the Declaration of Independence?

George Walton, whose home at Meadow Garden still stands in Augusta, signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He and Lyman Hall, another of Georgia's three signers, are buried beneath Signers' Monument on Greene Street. During the American Revolution (1775-83) the seat of state government moved to Augusta in 1779. British troops occupied Augusta for two weeks in 1779 and from May 1780 to June 1781. Two important battles were fought in Augusta. Elijah Clarke 's failed attack upon Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brown in September 1780 was a prelude to the American victory at Kings Mountain. Continentals under Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, and militia under Elijah Clarke and Andrew Pickens, besieged Thomas Brown at Fort Cornwallis in May 1781 and forced him to surrender after a two-week battle. A hastily reconvened Georgia legislature in Augusta gave American peace negotiators cause to argue for Georgia's independence, even though Savannah remained in British hands for another year.

How did the Civil Rights Movement affect Augusta?

A few days after the Kent State shootings and Jackson State killings in May 1970, six African-American students were killed after they were shot in the back for looting by police following civil rights demonstrations. Racial tensions flared into a full blown riot with many buildings being set on fire. Today, African Americans constitute 53.6 percent (2006 estimate) of the population of Augusta-Richmond County. While slavery and Jim Crow are but memories of the past, race relations continue to be contentious in city politics.

Why was Augusta named Augusta?

Oglethorpe then named the town Augusta, in honor of Princess Augusta, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales . The town was laid out on the flat slopes of the Savannah River, just east of the sand hills that would come to be known as Summerville.

Why was Fort Augusta used?

Colonial Augusta. Celtic cross behind Saint Paul's Church, commemorating the site of Fort Augusta. Augusta, Georgia was first used by Native Americans as a place to cross the Savannah River, because of Augusta's location on the Fall Line . In 1736, two years after James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, he sent a detachment of troops on a journey up ...

What is the Augusta Museum of History?

The Augusta Museum of History highlights Augusta's history and famous natives and Historic Augusta has helped preserve architecturally important sites throughout the city.

What was the name of the church that was the site of the Augusta Institute?

Springfield Baptist Church, 1867-1879 site of the Augusta Institute. In 1879 the Institute moved to Atlanta, and in 1913 became known as Morehouse College. During the American Revolution, Savannah fell to the British. This left Augusta as the new state capital and a new prime target of the British.

What is the second largest city in Georgia?

It was the colony's second established town, after Savannah. Today, Augusta is the second-largest city in Georgia, and the largest city of the Central Savannah River Area .

Why is the Savannah River named Savannah River?

The name of the Savannah River is an Anglicization of their tribal name. In 1739, construction began on a road to connect Augusta to Savannah. This made it possible for people to reach Augusta by horse, rather than by boat, and more people began to migrate inland to Augusta.

Growth in The Early 19th Century

Civil War and Post War Industrial Expansion

Turn of The Century Tourist Trade and Golf

Modern Augusta

• After the war, subdivisions began spreading to the west, south, and east of town. Camp Gordon became a permanent installation, Fort Gordon, the home of the United States Army Signal Corps. In the 1950s, the Army Corps of Engineers finally dammed the Savannah River upstream from Augusta to curtail the periodic flooding that occurred and to generate ...

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