Georgia Stories

This Week in Georgia History | October 27

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:37:10 +0000

Discovery of Gold in Dahlonega, GA sparked America’s first gold rush. This Week in Georgia History, we dig deeper into the history of this boom town.

This Week in Georgia History | October 24

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:31:56 +0000

Displaced Protestants from England receive refuge in the Colony of Georgia.

This Week in Georgia History | October 11

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:40:57 +0000

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 14, 1964.

This Week In Georgia History | October 3

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:08:42 +0000

In 1949, Jesse Blayton made history by becoming the first African American owner of a radio station. This Georgia Story focuses on his pioneering station in Atlanta, GA.

This Week In Georgia History | September 22

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:25:09 +0000

Atlanta’s rising black middle class met with increasing racial tensions in the early 1900s. The resulting race riot was one of the most violent in American history.

This Week in Georgia History | September 13

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:37 +0000

This Week in Georgia History recalls the opening day of the 1895 Cotton Stats and International Exposition, held in Atlanta, Georgia, the capital of the “New South.”

Georgia Stories Biographies | Herman Talmadge

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:07:43 +0000

The son of a Georgia governor, Herman Talmadge served as governor of Georgia himself before becoming a powerful United States Senator.

Georgia Stories #4: Did Dinosaurs Live in Georgia?

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:09:27 +0000

The Hadrosaur, the Ornithomimus, the Gorgosaurus, the Deinosuchus, and the Megaladon were prehistoric creatures that existed millions of years ago. They roamed the piece of earth we now call Georgia.

This Week in Georgia History | September 6

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:06:58 +0000

Georgia’s most famous poet is likely Sidney Lanier, a powerful voice in 19th Century American Literature. He was born on September 7, 1881, during This Week in Georgia History.

This Week in Georgia History | August 30

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:54:46 +0000

This Week in Georgia History recalls Georgian Frank Yerby, the first African American to write a best selling novel.

This Week in Georgia History | August 23

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:19:26 +0000

At the turn of the twentieth century, a tragedy in Georgia’s legal history took place in Atlanta. It came to be known as the Leo Frank Case.

Georgia Stories Biographies — Eugene Talmadge

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:40:42 +0000

Eugene Talmadge was one of two Georgia governors elected four times. He was a powerful, but controversial leader for over two decades in Georgia state politics.

This Week in Georgia History | August 16

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:39:16 +0000

This Week in Georgia History remembers one of its most famous residents, author Margaret Mitchell.

Georgia Stories: Jerra Quinton #2

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:22:27 +0000

Our Georgia Story today comes from Jerra Quinton. Jerra is the Executive Director of the Trail of Tears Association, which supports the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The Trail wends its way across the country from Georgia to Oklahoma. Jerra lives in Arkansas. Her Cherokee heritage goes back generations. Today she remembers an ancestor who embarked on the Trail of Tears at the age of one hundred.

Georgia Stories: Jerra Quinton #1

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:20:16 +0000

Georgia Stories: Patsy Edgar

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:53:32 +0000

In the 1830s, the United States forcibly removed Native Americans from their homes and land across the Southeast, including Georgia. The government wanted the land for white settlers. Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, and Muscogee were uprooted from their lives and marched across the country to territory in what is now Oklahoma. Because of disease, weather, and starvation, thousands died on the long horrific odyssey. The forced migration is known as “The Trail of Tears.”

Our Georgia Story today comes from Patsy Edgar. Patsy is retired from the Internal Revenue Service and a member of the Cherokee Nation. She is secretary of the Trail of Tears Association, an organization formed to support the Trail of Tears National Historic trail, which wends its way across the country from Georgia to Oklahoma. Patsy founded the Georgia chapter of the Association, and she spoke with us about their first meeting.

This Week in Georgia History | August 9

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:55:10 +0000

This Week in Georgia History recalls crucial Civil War events around August 9, 1864, when William T. Sherman bombarded the city of Atlanta with thousands of rounds of cannon fire.

Georgia Stories Biographies — Elijah Clarke

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:58:33 +0000

Elijah Clarke became a hero of the American Revolution in the Battle of Kettle Creek.

Georgia Stories Biographies — Benjamin Mays

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:42:03 +0000

Dr. Benjamin Mays, longtime president of prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated his life to educating himself and others.

This Week in Georgia History | Week of August 2

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:40:01 +0000

This Week in Georgia History remembers politician George Busbee, whose lasting legacy as Governor is the constitution of 1983. Busbee was born this week, on August 7, 1927.

Georgia Stories — Signers of the Constitution

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:07:20 +0000

Button Gwinnet, George Walton, and Lyman Hall. Three men from Georgia who will long be remembered for their central places in the history of their state and their country.

Georgia Stories Biography - Charlayne Hunter-Gault

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:04:54 +0000

Charlayne Hunter-Gault was the first African American woman to attend the University of Georgia. Hunter-Gault endured threats and constant racism in her trailblazing time at UGA. She went on to become an award-winning, international journalist.

This Week in Georgia History: July 26, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:20:07 +0000

Native Americans lived across the Southeastern United States for generations before the spread of European settlers in the 18^th century. The Cherokee tribe was one of the largest groups of indigenous people then. It played a key role in Georgia’s early history through trading and allegiances in territorial wars.

This Week in Georgia History: July 19, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:05:26 +0000

This Week in Georgia History harkens back to the summer of 1996. On July 19, the eyes of the world turned to Georgia to witness the opening ceremonies of the Centennial Summer Olympic Games.

This Week in Georgia History: July 12, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:06:12 +0000

This Week in Georgia History remembers July 15, 1870, five years after the Civil War, when the United States Congress officially re-admitted the state of Georgia into the union. Georgia was the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted.

This Week in Georgia History: July 6, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:04:49 +0000

An historic battle in the history of the state of Georgia took place during This Week in Georgia History. Led by Georgia’s founder, General James Oglethorpe, English colonists fought off a fierce Spanish invasion along the coast on July 7, 1742.

This Week in Georgia History: June 29, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:53:01 +0000

This Week in Georgia History looks backs to July 1, 1991, when President George H.W. Bush nominated Georgian Clarence Thomas to serve on the Supreme Court.

This Week in Georgia History: June 22, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:18:58 +0000

An extraordinary Georgian was born during This Week in Georgia History. African-American Alonzo Herndon began his life as a slave but ended it as the president of a major American company.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Ellis Arnall

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:33:08 +0000

As governor, young Ellis Arnall sought to change the image of Georgia from a backwards rural state to a progressive one. He was the youngest governor in the nation, at the time, and he is considered one of the most progressive governors in Georgia history. Georgia Stories Biographies looks back at a boy wonder of Georgia politics, Ellis Arnall.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Ivan Allen Jr.

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:29:34 +0000

While other city leaders across the South struggled with the eruption of racial violence in their streets during the 60s, Mayor Ivan Allen is credited with leading Atlanta, for the most part, peacefully through the racial integration. Georgia Stories Biographies examines the life of an Atlanta legend, Ivan Allen Jr.

This Week in Georgia History: June 14, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:26:03 +0000

This Week in Georgia History celebrates June 14, 1877, when Henry Flipper became the first African-American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Flipper was born in Thomasville, Georgia.

This Week in Georgia History:June 8, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:46:58 +0000

This Week in Georgia History marks a key moment in the political career of its most famous politician, Jimmy Carter, campaigning for President of the United States in early June, 1976.

Georgia Stories Biographies - William B. Hartsfield

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:10:44 +0000

William B. Hartsfield is likely best remembered as the mayor who turned Atlanta into a center of aviation. It began on an abandoned racetrack in 1925, a small airport called Candler Field that quickly grew in size and usage. Today, it’s the largest employer in the state of Georgia, and almost five million passengers use the airport every year. Georgia Stories Biographies looks at the life and career of the man who is often called Atlanta’s “father of aviation.”

This Week in Georgia History: May 31, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:38:56 +0000

This Week in Georgia History looks back to June 1, 1980, when the Cable News Network, or CNN, launched from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Rebecca Latimer Felton

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:57:31 +0000

The first woman to serve in the United States was from Georgia. Georgia Stories Biographies recaps the life and work of Rebecca Latimer Felton, who took the oath of office as a US Senator on November 21, 1922.

This Week in Georgia History: May 25, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:07:04 +0000

Journalist and public speaker Henry Grady was born This Week in Georgia History on May 24, 1850. A charismatic speaker, Grady was known as ‘The Spokesman of the New South.’

Georgia Stories Biographies - Richard Russell

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:09:57 +0000

Georgia Stories Biographies looks at one of the most powerful senators of the 20th Century, Georgia’s Richard B. Russell Jr.. An influential and skilled politician, Russell served in the Senate for almost 40 years, from 1933 to 1971, and he oversaw a sweeping set of changes to Georgia and the nation.

This Week in Georgia History: May 17, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:39:31 +0000

Rural parts of Georgia changed dramatically after the Rural Electrification Act was signed into law. This Week in Georgia History looks back at the man who signed the Act into law, US President and part-time Georgia resident, President Franklin D. Rosevelt.

This Week in Georgia History: May 10

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:10:32 +0000

This Day in Georgia History recounts the morning of May 10, 1865, near the end of America’s civl war. It was on this day that the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, was captured by Union forces in Georgia.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Tomochichi

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:16:08 +0000

Georgia’s creation as an English colony could not have happened without the aid of a remarkable Native American. Tomochichi, chief of the Yamacraws, Tomochichi befriended Georgia’s founder, James Oglethorpe, in the late 18th Century. He acted a skilled mediator between the native population and the English settlers. He’s the subject of this week’s Georgia Biographies.

Georgia Stories Biographies - John Ross

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:01:51 +0000

Ten times John Ross was elected chief of the Cherokee Nation. It is no wonder that many regard him as the greatest chief in the history of the Cherokee people. Ross is the subject of this week’s Georgia Biographies.

This Week in Georgia History: May 4, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:17:22 +0000

This Week in Georgia History commemorates the start of Sherman’s March, which began on May 5, 1865. The successful military campaign through Georgia helped to bring about the end of the Civil War.

This Week in Georgia History: April 27, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:32:04 +0000

This Week in Georgia History looks back to the final day in the life of Chief William McIntosh, one of the most controversial figures in Georgia History.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Henry McNeil Turner

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:54:22 +0000

Georgia Stories Biographies looks at Henry McNeal Turner, a pioneer of African-American political rights in late 19^th century Georgia. He was a preacher, a writer, a public-speaker, and a politician. He believed that African-Americans should form a new nation, across the Atlantic, in Africa.

This Week in Georgia History: April 20, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:33:27 +0000

The Coca-Cola trademark logo and its distinctive bottle shape are instantly recognizable across the world today. Many people living in the far reaches of the globe – Asia, Latin America, Africa – see Coke as a powerful symbol of American culture. This Week in Georgia History recalls a pivotal moment in the evolution of this incredible beverage.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Sequoyah

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:54:15 +0000

Sequoyah was a Cherokee Indian who gave the gift of written language to the Cherokee people, whose home lands once included north Georgia. This week’s biography introduces you to his extraordinary life and work.

This Week in Georgia History: April 13, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:57:32 +0000

This Week in Georgia History celebrates the birth of one of the most revered African-American women in Georgia’s history. Lucy Craft Laney is widely regarded today as one of the state’s most influential educational leaders.

This Week in Georgia History: April 6, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:04:40 +0000

One of the most dramatic adventures of the Civil War took place in Georgia. This Week in Georgia History remembers “The Great Locomotive Chase,” the only train chase of the Civil War.

This Week in Georgia History: March 30, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:06:49 +0000

One of the most important discoveries in medicine was made by a Georgian. This Week in Georgia History looks back to March 30, 1842 when Crawford Williamson Long performed the first painless surgical procedure using sulfuric ether as an anesthetic.

Georgia Stories Biographies: William McIntosh

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:00:45 +0000

Born in 1778 to a Scottish father and a Creek Indian mother, William McIntosh was a controversial Indian chief who supported white expansion into Creek territory. His support of the young Georgia government and the United States culminated in his signing of the Treaty of Indian Springs, an act that would ultimately lead to his execution by angry Creek Indians. The Treaty of Indian Springs ceded the last of Creek Nation land, about 7,000 acres, to the United States.

This Week in Georgia History: March 22, 2009

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:52:39 +0000

This Week in Georgia History marks the birth of Atlanta’s first African-American mayor, Maynard Jackson, born on March 23, 1938. The world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, is named in his honor.

Georgia Stories Biographies: Abraham Baldwin

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:03:45 +0000

University of Georgia founder Abraham Baldwin is the subject of this week’s Georgia Stories Biographies. While known for this intimate connection to UGA, Baldwin was also a state legislator, member of the Confederation Congress, signer of the United States Constitution, and a member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.

Baldwin always felt his most important political contribution was a deciding vote he cast, at the convention in Philadelphia, in what came to be known as the “Great Compromise.”

Georgia Stories Biographies: Carl Vinson

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:30:12 +0000

The legendary lawmaker Carl Vinson is the subject of this week’s Georgia Stories Biographies. Vinson served a record twenty-five consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives - a total of more than 50 years. His bills are credited with helping the U.S. build war ships quickly after Pearl Harbor, and his insistence that the American military had to be prepared, even during the Cold War, enabled the armed forces to maintain their status of strength and readiness. In 1973, Pres. Richard Nixon announced that the nation’s third nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would be named for him.

Georgia Stories Biographies: Henry Grady

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:23:16 +0000

This Georgia Stories Biographies is narrated by Dr. E. Culpepper Clarke, dean of Grady College at the University of Georgia, and it’s about the passionate journalist and charismatic public speaker, Henry Woodfin Grady. Known as the “The Spokesman of the New South,” in the late 19th Century, Henry Grady engaged in a near one-man campaign to bring prosperity to Atlanta and the rest of the South so damaged and depressed from the recent American Civil War. Using his powerful voice as editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Grady helped elect like-minded politicians to high office, including the governor’s office. While controversial, his belief that Northern investment in the South could change it from a region of farms into a region of industry was eventually widely accepted. Grady’s movement fixed fast-growing Atlanta as the hub of the New South and it spurred the economic growth of the entire region. He died young, at age 39, but his brief career was brilliant and influential.

Georgia Stories Biographies: Mary Musgrove

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:18:43 +0000

Born in the 1690’s, Mary Musgrove was the daughter of a British trader and a Creek Indian mother. Known as Coosaponakeesa to the Creek Indians, Mary was raised bilingual. She grew into a kind of bicultural diplomat, bridging the “new” and “olds” worlds of the colonists and Native Americans. In 1711, she married John Musgrove, and together they helped to arrange trades between the English and Creek Indians. She was a shrewd businesswoman and an interpreter for James Olgethorpe, one of the principal founders of Georgia. After her husband’s death, Mary married the Reverend Thomas Bosomworth, and together they helped to mediate relations between the Native Americans and the English.