Setting the Stage

Georgia’s geography is varied and expansive, encompassing rolling mountains and valleys in the north to sweeping plains, beaches, and swamps in the south. The state’s unique physical characteristics are highlighted in the geologic record and in the diversity of landforms...

Humans first arrived in the region we today call Georgia more than eleven thousand years ago. They developed systems of governance, economic sustainability, and cultural spirituality. As groups became more sophisticated, traditions and customs were passed along to preserve a unique heritage.

From Hernando de Soto’s earliest journey through the southeast to the years after the French and Indian War, Georgia developed thriving cities, a bustling port, and a culture influenced by Spanish, French, British, and Native American societies.

As the last colony to join the rebellion against Great Britain, due in part to its heavy reliance on maritime trade, Georgia’s entry into the American revolution was a complicated affair. Governors were installed and removed, cities fell and were liberated, and the burgeoning backcountry involvement played out more like a civil war than an independence movement.