Georgia enters the Union
Georgia votes to ratify the U.S.Constitution becoming the fourth state in the modern United States.Named after King George II Georgia was first settled by Europeans in 1733 when a group of British debtors led by English philanthropist James E.
Oglethorpe traveled up the Savannah River and established Georgias first permanent settlementthe town of Savannah.In 1742 as part of a larger conflict between Spain and Great Britain Oglethorpe defeated the Spanish on St.Simons Island in Georgia effectively ending Spanish claims to the territory of Georgia.Georgia rich in export potential was one of the most prosperous British colonies in America and was thus slower than the other colonies to resent the oppressive acts of the Parliament and King George III.
However by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War Georgian Patriots had organized and delegates were sent to the Second Continental Congress.During the war Georgia was heavily divided between Loyalists and Patriots and the British soon held most of the state.Savannah served as a key British base for their southern war operations and the grim four-year British occupation won many Georgians over to the Patriot cause.
In 1788 Georgia became the first southern state to ratify the U.S.Constitution.
