History of slavery in Georgia (U.S. state)
Encyclopedia
Slavery
in Georgia
is known to have been practiced by the original or earliest known residents of the future colony and state for centuries prior to European settlement. However, the penal colony, under James Oglethorpe
, is known to have been the only British colony to have banned slavery before legalizing it (1735) with the help of George Whitfield. It was eventually legalized by royal decree in 1751.
Birthplace of the Cotton Empire
Georgia also figures significantly in the history of American slavery because of Eli Whitney
's invention of the cotton gin
in 1793. It was first demonstrated to an audience on Revolutionary War
hero Gen. Nathanael Greene
's plantation, near Savannah
. The cotton gin's invention led both to the explosion of cotton
as a cash crop as well as to the revitalization of African slavery in the Southern United States
, which soon became dependent upon the growth and sale of cotton to manufacturers in the Northern United States and abroad.
on January 19, 1861. Years later, in 1865, during his March to the Sea
, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
signed his Special Field Orders, No. 15
, distributing some 400,000 acres (1,600 km²) of confiscated land along the Atlantic Coast from Charleston, South Carolina
to the St. Johns River
in Florida
to the slaves freed by Sherman's forces. Most of the settlers and their descendants are today known as the Gullah
.
Slavery was officially abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment
which took effect on December 18, 1865. Slavery had been theoretically abolished by President Abraham Lincoln
's Emancipation Proclamation
which proclaimed, in 1863, that only slaves located in territories that were in rebellion from the United States were free. Since the U.S. government was not in effective control of many of these territories until later in the war, many of these slaves proclaimed to be free by the Emancipation Proclamation were still held in servitude until those areas came back under Union control.
In 2005, Wachov Bank apologized to Georgia's African-American community for its predecessor's (Georgia Railroad and Banking Company
of Augusta, Georgia
) role in the use of at least 182 slaves in the building of that railroad.
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
is known to have been practiced by the original or earliest known residents of the future colony and state for centuries prior to European settlement. However, the penal colony, under James Oglethorpe
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
, is known to have been the only British colony to have banned slavery before legalizing it (1735) with the help of George Whitfield. It was eventually legalized by royal decree in 1751.
Birthplace of the Cotton EmpireKing CottonKing Cotton was a slogan used by southerners to support secession from the United States by arguing cotton exports would make an independent Confederacy economically prosperous, and—more important—would force Great Britain and France to support the Confederacy because their industrial economy...
Georgia also figures significantly in the history of American slavery because of Eli WhitneyEli Whitney
Eli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South...
's invention of the cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
in 1793. It was first demonstrated to an audience on Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
hero Gen. Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
's plantation, near Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. The cotton gin's invention led both to the explosion of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
as a cash crop as well as to the revitalization of African slavery in the Southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which soon became dependent upon the growth and sale of cotton to manufacturers in the Northern United States and abroad.
Georgia slavery during the Civil War
Georgia voted to secede from the Union and join the CSAConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
on January 19, 1861. Years later, in 1865, during his March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
signed his Special Field Orders, No. 15
Sherman's Special Field Orders, No. 15
Special Field Orders, No. 15 were military orders issued during the American Civil War, on January 16, 1865, by General William Tecumseh Sherman, commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi of the United States Army...
, distributing some 400,000 acres (1,600 km²) of confiscated land along the Atlantic Coast from Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
to the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to the slaves freed by Sherman's forces. Most of the settlers and their descendants are today known as the Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
.
Slavery was officially abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, passed by the House on January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865. On...
which took effect on December 18, 1865. Slavery had been theoretically abolished by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
which proclaimed, in 1863, that only slaves located in territories that were in rebellion from the United States were free. Since the U.S. government was not in effective control of many of these territories until later in the war, many of these slaves proclaimed to be free by the Emancipation Proclamation were still held in servitude until those areas came back under Union control.
Commemoration
In 2002, the City of Savannah unveiled a bronze statue on River Street in commemoration of the African-Americans who were brought to Georgia as slaves through the city's port.In 2005, Wachov Bank apologized to Georgia's African-American community for its predecessor's (Georgia Railroad and Banking Company
Georgia Railroad and Banking Company
The Georgia Railroad and Banking Company is a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia.- History :It was originally chartered in 1833 in Augusta, Georgia. In 1835, the charter was amended to include banking...
of Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
) role in the use of at least 182 slaves in the building of that railroad.
See also
- George Whitfield with reference to his orphanage supported by his slaves, after he had campaigned to legalize slavery in Georgia.
External links
- Slavery in Antebellum Georgia from the New Georgia EncyclopediaNew Georgia EncyclopediaThe New Georgia Encyclopedia is a web-based encyclopedia containing over 2,000 articles about the state of Georgia.The Georgia Humanities Council, the Office of the Governor of Georgia, the University of Georgia Press, and the University System of Georgia/GALILEO have collaborated in the funding...
- Slave Population in Legal Records, by David E. Paterson
- Georgia Slave Map
- Sherman's Special Field Orders, No. 15