Georgia Stories Video

Georgia Stories Biographies - Rebecca Latimer Felton

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:54:57 +0000

The first woman to serve as a United States Senator was from Georgia. Her name was Rebecca Latimer Felton.

Georgia Stories - The Judicial Branch

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:15:37 +0000

The Judicial Branch of Georgia state government handles matters of the law. Most legal matters in the state of Georgia are reviewed by a judge or a jury, who are both a central part of the court system.

The Judicial Branch of Georgia consists of several different types of courts. There are two appellate level courts: the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeals. There are five trial level courts: superior, state, juvenile, probate, and magistrate.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Sequoyah

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:13:05 +0000

Sequoyah, a Cherokee Indian with ties to Georgia and Oklahoma, did something no other person in recorded history has done. He created a system of writing for an unwritten language.

Georgia Stories Biographies - William McIntosh

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:11:45 +0000

Perhaps the fatal mistake made by William McIntosh, born in 1778 to a Scottish father and a Creek Indian mother, was to try to satisfy the demands of both cultures.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Abraham Baldwin

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:06:50 +0000

Abraham Baldwin only lived 53 years, but in that time he accomplished more than most people ever dream of doing. In his lifetime he was a state legislator, founder and president of a university, member of the Confederation Congress, signer of the U.S. Constitution, and member of the U.S. House and later the U.S. Senate.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Henry Grady

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:04:22 +0000

Henry Grady (1850-1889), journalist and speaker, brought fame and industry to a New South during Reconstruction period. Grady and other progressives knew that the South would have to do more than depend on agriculture to support their economy. The South needed to industrialize with the help of Northern investors. His speeches around the country and his editorials in the Atlanta Constitution supported industrialization and the rising of the “New South.”

Georgia Stories - Georgia and the United States Constitution

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:37 +0000

Not long after the Articles of Confederation were drawn up in 1777, Georgia and the United States decided they would need a strong central government. In 1887, each state sent representatives to Philadelphia to a Constitutional Convention. They met to write a new Constitution that would set-up the government we have today. Georgia sent four men, most notably University of Georgia founder Abraham Baldwin, who played a critical role in what came to be known as the “Great Compromise.” By 1789, Georgia had a new Constitution of its own, and the new U.S. Constitution had been ratified by all of the states.

Georgia Stories - The Executive Branch

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:56:46 +0000

The executive branch is the largest of Georgia’s three branches of state government. The Georgia constitution names eight officers that are elected by all Georgia voters to serve in the executive branch. They lead agencies responsible for enforcing state laws and carrying out programs like education, elections, and law enforcement.

Georgia Stories - The Legislative Process

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:59:52 +0000

On the second Monday of every year, the Georgia General Assembly convenes for a 40-day session. The General Assembly is our state’s legislative body. Located in the capital of Atlanta, it’s where state laws are written, debated, and amended. The Legislature consists of two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Much of the work in the General Assembly concerns bills. A bill is a draft of a proposed law that’s presented to a legislative body for approval.

Georgia Stories Biographies - Thomas Watson

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:53:56 +0000

Thomas Watson is one of Georgia’s most perplexing historical figures. An early champion of poor farmers in the shambles after the Civil War, he was the voice of the Populist Party. In his later years, however, he was known as a divisive and racist politician.

Georgia Stories Biographies - John Ross

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:48:54 +0000

From 1828 to 1860, the Cherokee people were led by the remarkable John Ross. During a 32-year period that ended with his death, Ross presided over the birth of Cherokee Nation, the removal of his people from their homeland, and the founding of a new nation in a distant place.

Georgia Stories 107: Bird Food

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:49:36 +0000

If you are driving along a Georgia highway, don’t be surprised if you see an ostrich, emu, or rhea. These exotic birds are being raised on farms for sale to restaurants as food. Today, there are about 11,000 farms in Georgia raising these birds. In this episode, Fowler Farms (Albany) owners Suzanne Shingler and Wayne Fowler discuss the economic feasibility of raising ratites. In one sequence, we see how eggs are hatched. Yvonne Jones, of Agricultural Services and Investment discusses ratite products. At Carr’s Steak House, diners tell us how the birds taste.

Georgia Stories 106: Recycling Comes to Georgia

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:48:26 +0000

The average American creates about four pounds of garbage every day. Americans throw out about 180 million tons of solid waste every year. 73% of this waste goes to landfills, but space is running out. Landfills are expensive and there is a scarcity of available land for them. In 1990 the Georgia legislature requested that communities begin recycling programs. Many communities complied with the legislature’s request. Paper, aluminum, and plastic items are collected and recycled throughout the state.

Georgia Stories 105: Habitat for Humanity

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:47:07 +0000

For many people, the cost of housing continually exceeds their income. In 1973, one man decided to do something about this situation. Millard Fuller, a self-made millionaire, went to Africa, where he helped poor people to build homes. When he returned to America, he used what he had learned in Africa to begin Habitat for Humanity. Today, Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization, is the largest home builder in the United States. The organization has built homes in every state and in 47 countries. Habitat’s goal is to help people begin home ownership. The backbone of the organization is the volunteers who contribute their work and money to the construction of the houses.

Georgia Stories 104: The Second Busiest Airport in the World

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:45:57 +0000

The Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, a major part of the air transport industry, provides companies with easy access to the world. Each day 2,200 flights arrive in and depart from the airport, going to and coming from 180 destination points. Hartsfield Atlanta is a hub airport; the vast majority of people passing through the airport are just changing planes. Hartsfield impacts Georgia’s economy tremendously, pumping $7.8 billion into Atlanta and $15 billion into the state every year, making it the single largest employer in the state.

Georgia Stories 103: Granite Sculptor

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:44:33 +0000

Dario Rossi , one of Elberton’s most prominent sculptors was born in Carrara, Italy, a town known for its fine marble used in religious statues. Rossi decided to become a sculptor after World War II and served as an apprentice in Italy for 16 years. He first came to Elberton in the 1960’s and today has a studio there where he carves memorials and other works of art. In this segment, Dario Rossi explains the inspiration for his work, “Tornado Hurricane,” and discusses the creative process.

Georgia Stories 102: Granite Capital of the World

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:43:36 +0000

Elberton, Georgia, known as the “Granite Capital of the World,” sits on a fault of granite 35 miles long, 6 miles wide, and 2 to 3 miles deep. The first granite was quarried here in 1889. It was used to build bridges and broken into gravel for railroad tracks. The industry flourished by the turn of the century. Today, 250 companies employ 2,200 people, with an annual payroll of $46 million. Viewers follow the process by which the granite is quarried, sized, and polished before it goes to the stone cutter and then learn how computers are used to assist in the graphic designs for granite monuments and tombstones.

Georgia Stories 81: The New South and Leo Frank

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:41:29 +0000

Leo Frank, a northern Jew who had moved to Atlanta to manage a pencil factory, was accused of murdering a 14-year-old factory employee named Mary Phagan in the year 1913. After a sensationalized trial, Frank was found guilty and sentenced to hang. He was convicted primarily on suspicious testimony. Georgia Governor John Slaton was not convinced that the evidence for Frank’s guilt was strong enough to merit a hanging; he commuted Frank’s sentence to life imprisonment. Many in Marietta, Mary Phagan’s hometown, were outraged by this action. A group of 25 armed men took kidnapped and lynched Frank. Frank’s story reveals the many social conflicts that prevailed during those times. Historians discuss the events of the Leo Frank case and their broader implications.

Georgia Stories 80: Pink Morton

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:40:26 +0000

Monroe Bowers Morton was known as “Pink” for his light skin (he was the son of a former slave mother and white father). He built the Morton Theater in 1910. Morton served as a postmaster, published two newspapers, and owned 30 buildings. The center of his empire was the Morton Building, which became the center of African-American business and entertainment in Athens at the turn of the century. The building is located at Washington and Hull (the “Hot Corner”). Jazz, vaudeville, and burlesque filled the theatre. Celebrities who performed there included Cab Callaway, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Ma Rainey. The building went into decline in the 1950’s, but local artists recently spurred a renovation effort. Robert Herman, Executive Director of the Morton Theatre, comments.

Georgia Stories 79: American Culture, Coca-Cola

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:38:57 +0000

Coca-Cola’s legacy began in 1886 when a druggist named John “Doc” Pemberton sold the syrup that he used in his drugstore fountain drinks. Asa Candler purchased the formula after Pemberton’s death, and devoted $50,000 a year to advertising. Coca-Cola was constantly embroiled in legal battles to keep copycat products off the market, a fight eventually won through the patenting of a uniquely-shaped bottle. Coca-Cola and its advertising have both become a part of American culture. Phil Mooney and Coca-Cola archivist Rick Allen (author of Secret Formula, a history of Coke) comment.

Georgia Stories 101: High School Dropouts

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:32:33 +0000

Forty years ago, a person without a high school diploma still stood a pretty good chance of supporting himself at a job providing an adequate living. For the 30,000 Georgians who now drop out of school every year, the situation has changed; computer, language, and communication skills taught in high school have become essential for a decent-paying job. Many people are trying to rectify the mistake of dropping out of high school by studying for and taking the GED exam, to get the equivalency of a high school diploma. For those needing the required discipline, the Youth Challenge Program has been established, with a 21-week program during which participants attend a military-style camp while studying.

Georgia Stories 100: Teenagers and the Economy

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:31:15 +0000

Five million teenagers — 75% of all seniors — have jobs. Advertising and the pressure to buy bombard today’s teenagers like never before. As major consumers, teens have to work to earn the money needed in the marketplace. Studies show that teens who work up to 10 hours a week actually get higher grades. For those working longer hours, however, studying often becomes secondary to work. A group of working teens tells why they work; some students comment on the choices they have to make between work, sports, and studies.

Georgia Stories 99: Women in the Work Force

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:29:50 +0000

In this segment, we learn about changing perceptions of women in the workplace. Prior to the 1960’s, most women did not work outside the home. Work was considered second to family. Women with professional careers were usually secretaries, nurses, teachers, or librarians. Most working women had low-paying jobs with little chance for promotion or pay comparable to men’s. Women pursued careers as physicians or attorneys found that admission to professional schools was difficult. Today things have changed.

Georgia Stories 98: The Music Industry

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:28:25 +0000

Atlanta is home to a $600 million-a-year recording industry. Grammy award-winning group TLC hail from Atlanta and record for Atlanta-based LaFace Records. According to some, Atlanta is convenient to major studios and producers, and the cost of living is lower than cities such as Los Angeles. Participants in the recording industry discuss Atlanta’s importance to modern music. We visit a live recording for radio station 99X at Catspaw and hear about the influence of stations such as 99X in creating a name for a recording group.

Georgia Stories 97: The Economic Aspects of Special Events

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:26:55 +0000

Sporting events, conventions, and festivals generate $3 billion a year for Georgia’s economy. The 1996 Olympics alone were projected to add $5 billion. The Super Show, Atlanta’s biggest convention, draws 110,000 people every year. Atlanta is a major convention city because of its airport, facilities, hotel rooms, and restaurants, but other Georgia cities have their own special events. Thomasville’s Rose Festival, Vidalia’s Onion Festival, Stone Mountain’s Ante-Bellum Jubilee, Perry’s stock show and rodeo, and Fairburn’s Renaissance Festival are just some examples. Participants and convention planners discuss Georgia’s special events.

Georgia Stories 96: The Computer Industry

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:25:35 +0000

Though the Internet has become popular only in recent years, both the computer industry and the Internet have their origins in the 1950’s. At that time, computers were extremely expensive; they were so large they took up entire rooms. Because there were relatively few of them in the country, scientists often had to travel to a computer in order to use it. The Internet allowed scientists to remotely hook up to other computers. Today’s Internet is much more powerful and sophisticated. In this episode, Bob McNamara and Alan Taetle of Mindspring Enterprises comment. We also visit the home page of Chattahoochee High School in Duluth.

Georgia Stories 95: The Candy Cane Factory

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:23:28 +0000

Bob’s Candies, an Albany company founded by Bob McCormack in 1919, is the largest manufacturer of striped candy in the world. McCormack was the first manufacturer to wrap his candies in cellophane. Work was done by hand, and was consequently very slow, but that changed when Gregory Keller (great uncle to current president Gregory McCormack) invented two machines to mechanize the candy production. The inventions revolutionized the business and made Bobs Candies the first machine-manufactured candy. The McCormacks discuss the candy business today.

Georgia Stories 94: Agriculture and Technology

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:21:59 +0000

Once, the typical farm was only about 30 acres, because that was all a single farmer could cultivate. Today, the typical farm is over 1,000 acres and a farmer can produce more per acre than his grandfather ever dreamed of. Global Positioning Systems, a technology developed from the Gulf War, applies satellite technology to agriculture. From the maps satellites help generate, farmers can determine which soil is healthy and which soil needs help. Then, using a terrigator, they can distribute precisely to where it’s most needed. Commentary is provided by W.P. and Tony Smith; farmer Bob Lanier; Craig Kvien of the University of Georgia Agricultural Sciences school; and farmer Mike Newberry.

Georgia Stories 93: The Economic Aspects of the Civil Rights Movement

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:20:28 +0000

The Civil Rights movement was about political and social equality, but it was also about economic opportunity long denied. This episode tells the stories of three African-Americans: farmer and sharecropper descendent Felder Daniels, NAACP member and Tybee Beach resident Tena Butler, and a 1960’s custodial employee named Lillie Rossner. Doug Bachtel, University of Georgia, comments.

Georgia Stories 92: The Interstate Highway System

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:18:08 +0000

In the late 1930’s the Roosevelt administration proposed a system of interstate highways modeled on the German autobahn. The project was started under the Truman administration in the early 1950’s. The interstate system sounded the death knell for many communities that were located on highways. The episode analyzes the rise and fall of Ludowici, in Long County, which was harmed by the advent of the interstate. Viewers also learn of other areas that benefited.

Georgia Stories 91: Television Stories

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Personal memories influence the stories and poems of Atlanta writer Tony Grooms. Television images from his childhood also show up in much of his writing. Two examples are given in which his words are illustrated by television and childhood memory scenes. The first story, “Negro Progress,” was inspired by the newscasts of the water-hosing of children in Birmingham, Alabama, during civil rights demonstrations. The second, “Paolo and Far Away,” recounts the experience watching James Brown on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Georgia Stories 90: Television, the Electronic Marvel

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:43:46 +0000

The first television station in the South, WSB, began broadcasting in 1948. By the early 1960’s most families had a television set. Television quickly became the number one leisure activity for children. It brought news to the masses with unprecedented immediacy. This contributed to some big changes in society. Congressman John Lewis believes that, “Without television, the Civil Rights movement would have been like a bird without wings.” In the late 1960’s, people saw the Vietnam War every day. Many people feel that this closeness to the war was a prime factor behind much of its unpopularity. Commentators include historians and people alive during the “Golden Age of Television.”

Georgia Stories 89: Baby Boomers

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:42:25 +0000

For twenty years following the close of World War II, America experienced a “Baby Boom.” Long separations during the war, plus a high number of American casualties, spurred the desire to start families. Women were encouraged to stop working and choose children over careers. By the 1980’s, the birthrate declined to about half of what it was in the peak years of the Baby Boom. Historians and people alive during that era comment.

Georgia Stories 88: Depression Era Hobo

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:40:34 +0000

After the Civil War, many men headed west in search of work. Many carried a hoe with them. These “hoe boys” eventually became known as “hobos.” Hobos were not “bums” or “tramps”; they were men seeking work wherever they could find it. They lived out of doors in camps known as “jungles.” The dangers of travel by hopping trains crippled many. The outbreak of World War II brought enrollment in the armed forces to some hoboes and regular employment to others. Today the hobo’s life on the road has entered the realm of national myth. Horace Hampton, a former Depression-era hobo, recounts his experiences of life on the road. W. P. Scott, retired University of Georgia professor also comments.

Georgia Stories 87: The Voice of the South

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:39:12 +0000

On March 15, 1922, Atlanta’s WSB (for “Welcome South, Brother”) became the first radio station to broadcast in the South. At that time, almost anyone who could do anything could get on the air. Radio became a source of comfort (Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s reassuring Fireside Chats), alarm (Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds broadcast) and escapism (adventure shows like The Lone Ranger and The Shadow). This story features students at Sandy Creek High School and commentary by Marcus Bartlett, a retired executive vice president for Cox Communications; Elmo Ellis, retired vice president of WSB; and Allan Macleod of the College of Journalism at the University of Georgia.

Georgia Stories 86: The Tufted Bedspread Industry

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:37:48 +0000

The multi-billion dollar carpet industry of Dalton, Georgia had humble origins. In 1893, 15 year-old Catherine Evans created her first tufted bedspread. By the 1920’s, the production of tufted spreads had blossomed into a “cottage industry.” Cotton mills produced the raw materials, and “haulers” served as middlemen between the mills, the spread makers, and the merchants. Highway 41 became known as “Bedspread Alley” for its proliferation of merchants. The industry spared Dalton the worst of the Great Depression. The introduction of machines made chenille possible. Today, 75% of the world’s carpets and rugs are produced in Dalton. Historians comment, and hand tufting is demonstrated.

Georgia Stories 85: The Rural Electrification Administration

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:36:32 +0000

By the 1930’s, cities had enjoyed electricity for decades. However, no power company was willing to foot the cost of running electric lines to isolated farm homes, and most farmers would not have been able to afford electricity anyway. The Rural Electrification Administration was created under the New Deal. It provided low-cost loans to groups of people (“cooperatives”). The people paid back the loans in their electric bills. A dramatic change accompanied this; electricity saved labor, increased production, and improved the quality of life. Terry Kay, author of The Year the Lights Came On, comments. We see a dramatization of life before and after electricity.

Georgia Stories 84: Berry College, the Gate of Opportunity

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:34:47 +0000

Martha Berry founded Possum Trot, a log cabin school for rural children, at Oak Hill, on her Rome, Georgia family’s plantation. In addition to receiving academic and religious instruction, her students were trained in manual skills — students literally helped build the Berry School. Berry was a tireless fund-raiser; Henry Ford became the school’s biggest benefactor. Today, 95% of Berry College’s students do some sort of volunteer work for the school. This segment includes scenes from a 1950’s newsreel recounting the life of Martha Berry. Local historians and former students comment.

Georgia Stories 83: Dreams Never Realized, the Strike of 1914-15

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:33:04 +0000

Oscar Elsas established Atlanta’s Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill. The textile mill’s employees included farm families seeking a better life. Despite relatively high salaries and company housing, the 60 – 70 hour workweeks and repetitive labor disillusioned many employees. As former farmers, they were accustomed to more independence. They suffered from conditions that made it hard to breathe. In 1914 500 of the 1300 workers went out on strike. Management hired replacement workers and spies to infiltrate the union. The company had the law on its side (striking was illegal), and blackballed most of the strikers. Historians comment on this incident.

Georgia Stories 82: The Atlanta Fire

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:30:58 +0000

The Atlanta fire ravaged the northeastern section of Atlanta in 1917. It started in a warehouse near Grady Hospital and spread rapidly to black neighborhoods in Buttermilk Bottom (near today’s Civic Center). The predominance of wooden structures and a strong southern wind fed the flames. Horses pulled most of the fire engines; fire-fighting equipment was relatively primitive. Atlanta enlisted the aid of many other cities’ fire departments. Mansions along Ponce de Leon Avenue were dynamited to create a fire break. By the time the fire was extinguished, it had consumed nearly 3,400 buildings and rendered 10,000 people homeless. The video features interviews with witnesses to the devastation.

Georgia Stories 78: The Cadillac of Rocking Chairs

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:48:47 +0000

After the Civil War, poverty and chaos typified many Georgian’s existences. Some people tried to make money collecting body parts from battlefields to sell to survivors; others gathered and sold lead bullets. Kennesaw Mountain, near Marietta, saw some of the war’s heaviest fighting. In this grim setting, James Remley Brumby began manufacturing rocking chairs. These rocking chairs may be the oldest continuously manufactured Georgia product. Brumby employees and historians comment.

Georgia Stories 77: Thomasville, Playground of the Northern Industrialists

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:47:25 +0000

Northern industrialists who profited from the Civil War found a vacation haven in the southwestern Georgia town of Thomasville. Thomasville’s citizens were willing to put the war behind them and open their town to Yankee money. When a cure for malaria was found, Florida usurped Thomasville as the top vacation spot. Historians and Thomasville residents comment. Old photographs show the splendor of Thomasville’s hotels and homes. Cheryl Walters Watson takes us on a tour of the Lapham-Patterson house. Jack Hadley, the great-grandson of a white slave master and the grandson of a slave, was born and raised on Pebble Hill Plantation; he tells how his grandfather was able to save enough money to provide land for all his children.

Georgia Stories 76: March to the Sea

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:45:41 +0000

Union General William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea commenced with the torching of Atlanta in November 1864. Sherman’s troops, who were instructed to live off the land, took crops and livestock from civilians whose property they crossed – and destroyed. To defend the town of Giswaldville from Sherman’s army, old men and young boys lined up in its defense. Georgia soldiers deserted in order to protect their families and property. Did Sherman’s policies cause needless destruction and suffering in the name of war, or were they necessary to shorten the war and save lives? Historians comment. Re-enactors describe the arrival of federal troops at the Jarrell Farm and the differing reactions of John Fitzgerald (a farmer) and Prince Clark (a slave) to their arrival, and itemize the costs of the March to the Sea to Georgia’s population.

Georgia Stories 75: Fanny Kemble’s Diary

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:44:35 +0000

While on tour in the United States, British actress Fanny Kemble met and married Pierce Butler, the absentee owner of a rice and cotton plantation on Georgia’s Sea Islands. Kemble’s Residence on a Georgia Plantation is a record of her months living on her husband’s plantation and her sympathies for the slaves who worked on it. Before 1863, England willingly traded with the Confederacy. After Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the appearance of Kemble’s Residence on a Georgia Plantation, Britain (slave-free since 1833) withdrew most of their support for the Confederacy. An actress portraying Kemble reads passages from the journal aloud, and historians comment.

Georgia Stories 74: The Economics of War

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:16:06 +0000

In the early years of the Union naval blockade, Savannah’s blockade-runners were able to import much that civilian Georgians needed. After the blockade was tightened and the port of Savannah closed, Atlanta became the major source of supplies for the Confederate Army. For Georgians in other areas of the state, ingenuity was paramount in overcoming the shortages. Historians comment.

Georgia Stories 73: Worthless Paydays

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:14:28 +0000

More Americans died in the Civil War than in any other conflict in our history. For those who lived, daily life was brutal. Supplies were scarce. Soldiers frequently lacked clothes and weapons. Soldiers received only about thirty-nine cents a day for the purchase of all materials that the army could not supply. On payday, the army paymaster made deductions for many things, including days a soldier was absent and debts (in this video segment, examples of these pay deductions are dramatized). As the Southern economy collapsed, the buying power of the soldiers’ money declined rapidly.

Georgia Stories 72: The Railroads, Economic Boom

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:12:50 +0000

The steam-driven railroad reached Georgia in 1835. Train travel was not always comfortable – heat, smoke, and the threat of fire from embers were always present. Nonetheless, trains soon crisscrossed the state. Towns were built on the lines (before the railroads, the only sizable Georgia cities were on navigable rivers). Some towns, like Camak and Thomson, were named after railroad builders. The most prosperous of these railroad towns was Atlanta, nee “Terminus” because of its location at the end of the Western and Atlantic rail line. By 1860 it had become the railroad center of the South. Historians comment on the growth of the railroads.

Georgia Stories 71: Dr. Crawford W. Long’s Painless Operations

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:10:06 +0000

Dr. Crawford W. Long of Jefferson, Georgia, performed a surgical procedure in 1842 with anesthetic. Today’s anesthetics allow surgeons to perform much more complex surgery. Susan Deaver, director of the Crawford W. Long Museum in Jefferson, narrates a re-enactment of Dr. Long’s experiment. Scenes from Gone with the Wind show what an amputation was like without an anesthetic. Historians and physicians comment.

Georgia Stories 70: Wesleyan Female College

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:08:19 +0000

In the 1830’s, a time when women were largely discouraged from receiving an education, Methodists funded, built, and got the Georgia Legislature to charter the Georgia Female College in Macon. Later known as Wesleyan College, it was the first all female college anywhere in the United States. Gena Franklin, Vice-President of Wesleyan, describes the history of the school. The segment shows Wesleyan today. Wesleyan students and historians comment.

Georgia Stories 69: The Thirst for New Land

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:21:56 +0000

The Creeks were the first tribe to feel the effects of the white population expansion. Benjamin Hawkins, an Indian agent living with the Creeks, thought it expeditious to capitulate with the Federal Government. One group of Creeks fell in line, but another – called the Red Sticks – refused. A civil war broke out. In 1814 U.S. troops, under the command of Andrew Jackson, defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend near the Tallapoosa River in Alabama. Jackson forced the Creeks to cede their land. The Cherokees attempted to assimilate into white culture, but when gold was discovered on their lands, nothing could prevent their expulsion. The Treaty of New Echota in 1835 saw the signing away of the Cherokee lands (one of the Indian forgers of the treaty, Major Ridge, was killed by his tribe for breaking Cherokee law in signing away the land). The Trail of Tears followed. Historians comment.

Georgia Stories 67: America’s First Gold Rush

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:13:25 +0000

Hernando de Soto found no gold in his 16th century trek through Georgia, but three hundred years later gold was discovered in the North Georgia mountains, between the Chestatee and Etowah Rivers in what is now Lumpkin County. The discoverer, Benjamin Parks, literally stumbled over a rock containing gold. The first mining town was Auraria; later the center of mining shifted to Dahlonega. Although prospectors came to make their fortunes, the principal moneymakers were the shopkeepers who “mined the miners.” In 1832 the Native Americans in the area were expelled. Descendents of prospectors, modern day prospectors, and historians comment.

Georgia Stories 66: Mordecai Shefthall, Colonial Hero

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:05:45 +0000

Forty-three Spanish Jews came to Georgia in 1733 to escape persecution. One of them – Mordecai Shefthall – became a hero of the Revolution. Shefthall was captured in the Battle of Musgrove Creek because he refused to abandon his son. Despite imprisonment and torture, he did not reveal the whereabouts of Patriot supplies. After his escape, he became the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the colonial army. Two of his descendants, Marion Levy Mendel and John Shefthall, discuss their ancestor’s role in the Revolution.

Georgia Stories 65: The Liberty Boys

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:04:10 +0000

Just as the American Revolution was a rebellion of the young colonies against the mother country, it was also a conflict that divided the generations. The older generation had prospered under British mercantilism, but the benefits of mercantilism were not readily evident to the younger generation. The Habersham family illustrated the divide. James Habersham, councilor to Governor James Wright, had become a rich man in the colony. He sided with the crown and was known as a “Tory.” Joseph Habersham, James’s son, joined the “Liberty Boys” to protest taxation. Historians discuss the pros and cons of British rule.

Georgia Stories 64: Georgia’s Major Export - Rice

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:02:38 +0000

When colonists came to Georgia, they soon discovered that the swampy lands along the Savannah, Altamaha, and Ogeechee Rivers were perfect for rice. By 1776 rice was Georgia’s primary export. Today there is only one rice farm on the Savannah River delta – Turnbridge Plantation; cotton replaced rice as Georgia’s primary export. Historians and plantation owners describe the cultivation of rice and the dangers and discomforts of tending it in the snake, alligator, and mosquito-infested waters.

Georgia Stories 63: Georgia’s Oldest Business

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:00:40 +0000

During Georgia’s first 30 years, the British government forbade that state to have a newspaper. This situation was rectified in 1763, when an act of the legislature permitted the founding of The Georgia Gazette, Georgia’s first newspaper and the antecedent of The Augusta Chronicle, which was founded in 1786. It is still published. Examples of news stories that could be found in these early papers are given. David G. Sodomica, executive editor of the Chronicle, describes the role of newspapers in today’s world.

Georgia Stories 62: Ebenezer, the Stone of Help

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:58:23 +0000

On Bay Street in Savannah, there is a monument to the Salzburgers– Lutheran colonists who fled Austria to escape Catholic persecution. Eventually they made their way to Oglethorpe’s Georgia. Today, their descendants gather annually in Ebenezer (Effingham County), where their ancestors had settled. A pastor of the New Jerusalem Church and descendents of the Salzburgers comment. The segment ends with the story of Ebenezer’s decline and final burning by General Sherman on his March to the Sea during the Civil War in 1864.

Georgia Stories 61: Expectations vs. Reality

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:54:14 +0000

In a novel approach to getting a glimpse into the lives of Georgia’s first settlers, a fictional 18th-century television program, “Colonial Evening News,” looks in on Savannah one year after the landing of the ship Anne on February 12, 1733. The program also reviews the motives for the founding of the colony and describes the hardships that the colonist faced.

Georgia Stories 60: Naval Stores

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:28:54 +0000

What are naval stores? It is an unusual term and one not heard as much today as in Georgia’s past. It is not a place to buy a boat, although it sounds like it. Naval stores are byproducts from pine trees like pitch and tar, and they were used to seal wooden ships and keep them afloat. South Georgia had a ready source of pine trees and could provide tar in large enough quantities to be listed for sale in a Savannah newspaper in 1763. Kirk Johnston, a Charles Town Landing State Park reenactor, shows off the Adventure, a replica of a 17th century sailing vessel and describes how saltwater, wind, and sun took a toll on wooden ships. In the late 1800s, the naval stores industry grew to become a major Georgia export. Why? New technology allowed greater production. John Johnson of the Agrirama explains that the Scots brought copper whiskey stills to Georgia, and they could be used to cook pine resin to produce two products: turpentine and rosin. Small distilleries sprung up in the pine forests of south Georgia and African Americans traveled from the worn out forests of Virginia and the Carolinas to work the pine industry. James Gainer, a naval stores worker for more than 30 years, demonstrates how pine resin is collected. Today, turpentine production has moved overseas, but at one time barrels of naval stores lined Georgia ports as far as the eye could see. A demonstration of the uses of rosin today by dancers, musicians, and even baseball players concludes the video.

Georgia Stories 59: Back Country Settlers

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:27:19 +0000

Before the 1760’s, most Georgia settlers lived along the coast, primarily in Savannah, Darien, and Ebenezer. Some began to move inland, northwest to Georgia’s back country, but the influx of settlement away from the coast did not begin until 1761, with the purchase of Indian lands by Governor James Wright. Re-enactors discuss the history and traditions of these settlers, and demonstrate cooking, hunting, and candle making.

Georgia Stories 58: Mercantilism

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:25:58 +0000

Every year, 1,700 ships from 100 countries dock in Savannah to load and unload about 4.5 million tons of cargo. Today, trains and trucks move the goods overland to and from the port; in the 18th century, the Savannah River provided the primary access. Furs, skins, lumber, indigo, and rice were exported, while manufactured goods such as clothing, furniture, firearms, and munitions were imported. Two hundred and fifty years ago, trade was limited by an economic system known as “mercantilism,” which dictated that colonies could trade only with the mother country (England, in Georgia’s case) or amongst other colonies. Kirk Johnston, a re-enactor at Charles Towne Landing State Park in South Carolina, identifies some of the pros and cons of this system. A modern merchant, Ulises Carrillo, a port manager in Savannah for the Del Monte Company, talks about how truly international the port city is today. Historians and others comment.

Georgia Stories 57: Native American Stories

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:24:04 +0000

Who doesn’t like a good story? We learn about the world from the stories—real or made up—that describe the experiences of others. Some stories are funny while others are scary or sad, and still others confirm what we already know. Native Americans used stories, many still told today, to explain the unknowable and to help them understand the world. Because they believed that everything in nature had life, even rocks, clouds, and thunder, many Indian stories or myths personify objects in their explanations of events.

Georgia Stories 56: Native American Culture

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:22:44 +0000

How can we know anything about prehistoric cultures when written language did not exist to pass information along to succeeding generations? Cherokees Freeman Owle, a stone carver, Amanda Swimmer, a potter, and Driver Pheasant, a storyteller know how. They teach their art and stories to the next generation, passing down cultural traditions so they will survive. Clearly, nature forms the basis for many Native American traditions as young Cherokees learn how their lives are connected to the natural environment. Because there are so many stereotypes about American Indians, viewers are advised to seek the truth about them by visiting museums or reservations.

Georgia Stories 55: Early Georgians

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:21:04 +0000

When you bite into a hot, buttered ear of corn you are enjoying food with an ancient history in Georgia. Corn is the foodstuff responsible for prehistoric Native Americans flourishing in Georgia. Diamond Brown, a Cherokee dancer describes its importance as it is celebrated in the sacred Green Corn ceremony. Through interviews, reenactments, and visits to significant Native American sites in Georgia, the story of the changing culture of Indians from their arrival and existence as wandering hunters to the development of the mound building culture unfolds.

Georgia Stories 54: Chinese Style

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:26:05 +0000

Much of Georgia’s Chinese-American population had its origins in 1873 when laborers came to Augusta to dig a canal. They may have joined in American commerce, but they never abandoned their traditions. The New Year in Chinese tradition begins with the first new moon of the calendar year – in late January or early February. According to Chinese tradition, whatever happens on this day sets the tone for the rest of the year, therefore this day holds special significance to Chinese-Americans.

Georgia Stories 53: Georgians Contribute

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:24:49 +0000

Many 20th century Georgians have made contributions to culture in areas such as literature, music, and motion pictures. One world-renowned artist, Howard Finster, lives in Summerville, in Chatooga County. Finster, whose work is in Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Institute and has been featured on Talking Heads and R.E.M. album covers, did not begin painting until he was 61. Finster discusses what he considers his divine inspiration and what painting means to him.

Georgia Stories 52: El dia de los Muertos

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:23:33 +0000

More than 250,000 people of Mexican heritage live in Georgia. They bring with them not only a different language, but a variety of customs and beliefs that enrich Georgia’s culture. The Day of the Dead represents one of many Hispanic customs brought by Georgia’s Mexican citizens. On November 1-2, Mexicans celebrate El dia de los muertos, or The Day of the Dead, by remembering departed loved ones and welcoming the spirits of the deceased with flower-covered altars, special treats, and sometimes playful renditions of death itself.

Georgia Stories 51: Civil Rights in the Classroom

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:21:18 +0000

In this episode, we meet Marie Cochran, who in 1968 was among the first black students to attend a public school in Toccoa. We learn of the differing attitudes of her parents over this event. 25 years later, Marie (now an art professor at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro) created a huge multi-media sculpture called “Freedom School,” to honor the Civil Rights movement. Marie Cochran discusses facets of her work and how she uses art to make people think. The camera roams through her “Freedom School” sculpture as she explains her creative processes.

Georgia Stories 50: The Beat of Civil Rights

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:19:52 +0000

One of the centers of the Civil Rights movement in the south was Albany in Dougherty County, where the primary goal was to get white merchants to hire black employees. Unfortunately, violence was not avoided. In Albany, as in many other cities, the singing of spirituals was an important facet of life among civil right workers, elevating spirits during trying times. Civil rights activists comment.

Georgia Stories 49: Atlanta’s Example

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:16:28 +0000

In many cities, violence was an unfortunate part of the Civil Rights movement. Atlanta’s 1960’s fight against segregation was characterized by relatively peaceful sit-ins and boycotts organized by students from the six colleges in the Atlanta University complex. Additionally, practical white leadership by such figures as Mayor William B. Hartsfield, Coca-Cola Chairman Robert Woodruff, Atlanta Constitution Editor Ralph McGill, and Chamber of Commerce President (and later Mayor) Ivan Allen, Jr., may have helped prevent violence. They chose to work with civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Reporters and participants in the movement comment.

Georgia Stories 48: The Big Leagues

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:48:57 +0000

In addition to their successful sports teams, Georgia has also found entered the “Big Leagues” of film production. Since 1972’s Deliverance, Georgia has been the locale for more than 350 films and television programs. The reasons for this, and the impact movies have had on the state, are explored here. Three Georgia students participated in the film The War, opposite Kevin Costner. Commentators include former director Ed Spivia and director Norm Bielowicz of the Georgia Film Office; and Cynthia Stillwell, casting director. Christopher Fennel and Leon Sills of Cordele and LaToya Chisholm of Macon provide insights into what it’s like to act in a motion picture, including how to throw a [fake] punch.

Georgia Stories 47: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:47:11 +0000

Even before the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta was a baseball town. For 60 years, the Atlanta Crackers played at Ponce de Leon Stadium, about 3 miles northeast of the center of the city. The Crackers were one of the best minor league teams. Ponce de Leon Stadium made up in character (two magnolias and kudzu in the outfield) what it may have lacked in contemporary refinements. Fans, players, and others who participated in the baseball life comment.

Georgia Stories 46: No MTV?

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:45:35 +0000

During the 1950’s, Georgia was a study in contrasts. Much of the state retained a rural character, while Atlanta began an intense period of construction and “modernization.” Only 60 miles separates Franklin from Atlanta, but in the 50’s the two locations represented two different Georgias. Kids in 1950 Heard County may not have had video games, computers, shopping malls, or McDonald’s, but there were church picnics, school parties, crafts, and swimming holes to compliment reading and the radio. In this episode, three people who were 8th graders in 1950 recount what it was like growing up in rural Heard County.

Georgia Stories 45: Rufus, the Potbellied Pig

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:44:11 +0000

In downtown Decatur, storeowner Bill Suits ran afoul of a local law by keeping a potbellied pig (“Rufus”) as a pet. It had been illegal since 1951 to keep farm animals within Decatur city limits. The date of this law’s inception reflects a social change: the gradual urbanization of the state of Georgia. As areas became more densely populated, new laws were introduced to accommodate the change. The animal regulations in Decatur arose from hygiene issues. As for Rufus, after visits from Decatur officials, including Mayor Elizabeth Wilson, it was decided that . . . Well, you should watch for yourself.

Georgia Stories 44: The Women of World War II

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:42:55 +0000

While men were away at war, women filled the workplace. In this episode, three Georgia women recount work experiences. Pat Barrett describes work as a real-life “Rosie the Riveter” (as female assembly line workers were known). Barrett helped build B-29’s for Bell Aircraft. At a time when most African-American women were domestic workers, Creola Barnes Belton, of St. Simon’s, become an army nurse. Riverdale’s Helen Kogel Denton, a WAC, recounts her experiences in London during the German bombing raids. As a secretary for General Dwight Eisenhower, she helped type the secret plans for the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Georgia Stories 43: The Great Depression

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:40:29 +0000

Residents of Wilkes County recount stories of life in Georgia during the Great Depression. For many rural Southerners, the depression began a decade earlier than for the rest of the nation. The devastating effect of the boll weevil on cotton, compounded by already-low cotton prices, brought hard times to Georgia. Soon after the 1929 stock market crash, one out of every four Americans was unemployed. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal alleviated some of the effects of the Depression, but it was the demands of World War II that boosted the economy. Historians and people who were alive during the Depression comment.

Georgia Stories: The Historic Downtown Moultrie Walking Tour

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:37:37 +0000

n 1994 the U.S. Department of the Interior listed the Moultrie Commercial Historic District, along with eight other structures, on the National Register of Historic Places. This tour focuses on the history and architecture of landmark buildings in the district, including the Moultrie Banking Company Building, the Colquitt Theater, the Henderson Furniture Building, the Old Jail, the Grand Theater, and the Norman Hotel Building.

Moultrie is the county seat of Colquitt County. It’s located in southwest Georgia, about two hundred miles south of Atlanta. Moultrie is at the heart of the most productive agricultural area in Georgia, generating more revenue than any other area in Georgia.

The city is rich in history. The thriving fifteen-block downtown area contains commercial, professional, governmental, agri-industrial, and institutional buildings, many with a unique and fascinating past

Georgia Stories 42: The Birth of the Girl Scouts

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:34:55 +0000

On March 12, 1912, Savannah resident Juliette Gordon Low started the Girl Guides with 18 participants. It blossomed into the Girl Scouts of America. This program is framed by a look at a modern Girl Scout troop in Augusta, illustrating the contemporary form of Low’s dream. Fran Powell Herron, Director of the Girl Scout National Center, also comments.

Georgia Stories 41: Child Labor and the Textile Mills

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:32:16 +0000

In the early 1900’s, no laws regulated child labor. Children worked long hours for low wages at jobs that were sometimes merely boring, sometimes dangerous. By 1911, Georgia was the only state in the union without child labor laws, a situation perpetuated by many parents and mill owners. Historian John Lupold identifies the factors that produced a large city workforce resigned to work in the textile mills. Retired mill workers Lee Manly, Jeannette Scales, and Charlie Stafford recount their experiences as child laborers.

Georgia Stories 40: Rise of Modern Georgia, Part 3

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:30:53 +0000

Farming has traditionally been a family business. At one time, milking, hitching the mule team, plowing, drawing water from the well, and cooking on a wood stove were some of the many tasks assigned to children. The school vacation schedule was shaped by the need for child labor on the farms. Tifton guide John Johnson illustrates a series of chores that might have been performed by children who worked on farms in the early part of the century.

Georgia Stories 39: Cops and Robbers

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:28:42 +0000

Television news scenes of high-speed chases down major freeways, investigations of murders and armed robberies, SWAT teams closing in on a drug bust – these are all images that come to mind when we think of the roles played by law enforcement officers. But such images seem foreign to citizens in most of Georgia, who live in small towns and large farming areas. In this episode, we accompany Taylor County’s Sheriff Nick Giles on several routine calls regarding a bad loan, an abandoned car, and a complaint of speeding drivers and witness Giles’ personal approach to doing his job, in which talking and trying to come to amicable solutions take precedence over the use of firearms.

Georgia Stories 38: The $10 Billion Question

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:27:15 +0000

In 1995, the Georgia General Assembly authorized the expenditure of nearly $10 billion to pay for the operation of state government during the next fiscal year. Most of the money to pay for this comes from a variety of taxes paid by Georgia citizens and businesses — primarily the sales and income taxes. These state taxes are in addition to federal and local taxes that people already pay. The money raised through taxes funds a myriad of city and state projects; this episode reveals what Georgia gets from these taxes.

Georgia Stories 37: The Moment of Silence

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:24:34 +0000

In 1994 a law was passed that had a direct effect on the life of every student in Georgia. Known as the “Moment of Quiet Reflection,” this law makes a moment of silence mandatory at the beginning of each school day. Commentators include Pointe South Middle School students (Jonesboro), who tell how they spend this time in the classroom. The bill’s author, Senator David Scott of Atlanta, recounts why he felt such legislation was needed. Senator Mike Egan and Senator David Scott discuss the role of and the need for compromise and cooperation in the legislative process.

Georgia Stories 36: Land of Opportunity

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:17:56 +0000

Early in our nation’s history, American colonists created a government guaranteeing the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What if you were born in a country where you did not have those rights? Touk Phosai Varney was born in Laos where Communist rebels controlled everything from religion to what a person ate and wore. Varney and her family escaped, and with the help of friends came to America. Her father died shortly after their arrival and Varney, who was the oldest and spoke English, grew up fast taking charge of the family. She now lives in Georgia, is married, and works as a manicurist. Her little sister Oy, who was two when they arrived, is an active teenager in high school who wants to study to be a doctor. Life would be very different for Oy if the family was still in Laos. The Phosai family is typical of the million or more people who immigrate to the United States each year looking for freedom from persecution or a better life. After a swearing-in ceremony for new U.S. citizens, Fred Alexander of the U.S. Immigration Service talks about seeing his own heritage in every new face. He still gets emotional no matter how many services he has seen. Touk Phosai Varney looks forward to becoming a citizen and swears she would die for her new country.

Georgia Stories 35: Fire Fighting, Star Wars Style

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:16:18 +0000

Community fire protection is a local government function that citizens support through taxes. It is a service so basic that citizens often overlook it until it is needed, and then it can be a matter of life or death. This Georgia Story follows men in one of the busiest fire stations in Atlanta. Capt. Billy Shoemaker explains why he became a fireman. As a child he admired a family friend and dreamed of riding in a fire truck, climbing ladders, and helping people in need. Captain Shoemaker describes some of the challenges and dangers of the job. Firefighter Steven Woodworth demonstrates a helmet mounted with an infrared camera that helps firemen see through smoke. The $23,000 price tag means there is not one on every truck. When the alarm sounds, Atlanta firemen have four minutes to dress and get to the scene. Veteran fireman Roderick Smith and a young student race to see if they can put on turnout gear–steel-plated boots, a jacket, gloves, and a helmet–in one minute. As local government public safety providers, firemen do more than fight fires. They rescue drowning victims, respond to car wrecks, and handle train derailments and gas leaks. They are trained professionals who depend on one another to get the job done right. As the work winds down at the scene of a fire, a fireman sums it up: “nobody hurt, house still standing, job well done.”

Georgia Stories 34: Criminal Justice and the Juvenile

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:13:29 +0000

Because the crime rate for those under the age of 17 had nearly doubled in a five year period, the General Assembly authorized a new program to deal with juvenile offenders. Camp Stop, a military-style boot camp, was opened in Milledgeville. Its purpose was to give young offenders a wake-up call and steer them away from a life of crime. Judges could order non-violent offenders to spend up to 90 days in the camp. Fourteen-year-old Norton G. explains why he was incarcerated; he followed the wrong crowd at school. Sgt Major Richard Hurt believes boot camp can make a positive difference in kids’ lives. If camp inmates can deal with the strict rules and confrontations thrown at them in boot camp, Hurt thinks they will be able to handle everyday confrontations on the outside. At Camp Stop, everyone is required to look and act the same. There is no television or radio and only one five-minute phone call per week is allowed. While life is harsh at Camp Stop, it cannot compare with life in Georgia prisons in the 1930s. Scenes from the movie I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, based on a book about Georgia prisons, show how the mistreatment of prisoners led to prison reforms. At Camp Stop, inmates attend school and are expected to apply themselves to their studies. They also are given lessons about functioning in society by participating in group therapy sessions. When one person goes astray, the entire platoon must bear the brunt. Norton G. has learned his lesson. He knows it is okay to say no. His grades have improved at Camp Stop and he looks forward to setting a good example for other kids after he returns home

Georgia Stories 33: African-American Inventors

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:28:57 +0000

Georgia inventor and engineer Malcolm Johnson works at Kimberly Clark in Roswell and holds nine patents for inventions. Johnson knew from the third grade he wanted to be an inventor, i.e., come up with an idea for something new and make it. He was curious about the way things worked and liked to experiment. Chris Mitchell teaches Georgia students about African American inventors using original patents, documents, and photographs. Among African American inventors she recognizes are Grant Morgan from Cleveland, Ohio who designed the traffic signal we see every day. Important to World War I soldiers was the development of the gas mask to protect them from poison gasses used by the enemy. Lewis Latimer proposed the use of the carbon filament for light bulbs that allowed them to burn longer. He was hired by and was the only African American in Thomas Edison’s laboratory. Frederick McKinley Jones holds 60 patents. He designed the technology that adapted silent movie projectors and allowed them to show talking movies. His invention of the refrigerated truck allows fruits and vegetables to remain fresh when they are shipped across the country. His company, Thermo King, is still in business today. Malcolm Johnson knows inventors have a lot of confidence and curiosity. Wanting to know what, where, and why things happen keeps them focused and committed as they create new things. Does that sound like you?

Georgia Stories 32: The Race Riot of 1906

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:27:09 +0000

How can we avoid repeating our past mistakes? One of the best ways is to understand what happened and why it happened so we can avoid doing the same thing in the future. One such event in Georgia’s past was the race riot of 1906. As economic conditions worsened after the Civil War, poor whites joined blacks moving to Atlanta where both groups competed for work. Historian Cliff Kuhn describes the increasing segregation of the races through Jim Crow laws that applied to streetcars, trains, cemeteries, and even Bibles in the courtroom. In 1906, Hoke Smith ran for governor and inflamed racial tensions when he accused blacks of committing crimes against white women. Newspaper articles, using flimsy facts and sensationalized events, heightened tensions. In mid-September, a riot started in Atlanta when violent mobs of whites began randomly attacking black men, beating and killing them. According to Carole Merritt, director of Herndon Home, part of the reason for the anger directed at blacks was their economic accomplishments. When black men began fighting back, the mob lost its courage. The militia was called in by the governor. The riot ended after three days of fighting that left 26 people dead and hundreds injured. When it was over, whites wanted to forget and return to normal but black Atlantans could not. Why not? Because those same divisions continued and exist today, dividing society. It is important to recall what occurred and understand it so we do not allow history to repeat itself.

Georgia Stories 31: The Alonzon Herndon Family

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:24:46 +0000

Who wants to be a millionaire? Even today the word “millionaire” is associated with wealth, so imagine what people thought about millionaires in the early 1900s. Alonzo Herndon, a former slave born in 1858 in Social Circle, was ambitious. He sought to better himself and ultimately became a millionaire in Atlanta. After emancipation, he tried sharecropping but realized his path to success meant learning a trade. He learned barbering and eventually opened his own shop in Atlanta called the Crystal Palace. Historian Marcellus Barksdale describes the shop as fitting its name because it was decorated with crystal chandeliers, large mirrors, and Atlanta’s first plate glass windows. The barbershop served Atlanta’s white elite. Through constant hard work and investments in Atlanta property, Herndon became the richest black man in America. In 1905, he founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the largest black-owned financial institutions in the United States. Carole Merritt, director of Herndon Home, takes students on a tour of the house where Alonzo Herndon lived with his wife Adrienne and their son Norris. Mrs. Herndon was the head of the Drama Department at Atlanta University and an actress. Their home, located near the university, is operated as a museum today. Merritt points out how the house reflects Herndon’s ancestry through a series of painted panels depicting his past. According to Dr. Barksdale, Herndon was the embodiment of the American dream and evidence that the virtues of hard work and self help reward those who embrace them.

Georgia Stories 30: Singing the Blues

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:23:22 +0000

Today we can listen to music just about anywhere and from a wide variety of formats. That was not the case before the turn of the 20th century. If you wanted to hear music, you made it yourself or with your family. Norman and Nancy Blake and James Bryan play American string music and talk about it as the main form of entertainment in the home. Charles Wolfe, a music historian, describes how songs were a way of telling stories and spreading the news. Fiddlin’ John Carson from Georgia became a sensation because he could play and sing simultaneously. His wins at the Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers contest led to a recording contract. He is considered to be the first person to make a country music record when he recorded “Little Ol’ Log Cabin in the Lane.” Other record companies did not know what to call this form of music, but they rushed to Georgia to record it. African Americans also played string music but began interjecting a new form called the blues. The blues probably originated in West Africa and was heard in America when slaves sang work songs. By the 1920s it was the hottest form of music in the country and the basis for rock and roll music in later decades. Some people believe every form of American pop music including rap, the blues, rock and roll, gospel, and country can be traced to Southern music.

Georgia Stories 29: The Saga of Reconstruction

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:21:49 +0000

It may be difficult to imagine the total devastation of the South after the Civil War. Cities were destroyed, houses and slave quarters were burned, farmland was ruined, and one out of every five men who went to war never returned. Historians Cliff Kuhn, Marcellus Barksdale, and Gene Hatfield describe the chaos and uncertainty of the period. It was especially difficult for former slaves who were left homeless with nowhere to go. Frederick Douglass, the former slave who was a noted writer and speaker, wrote about the need for land. He said that the federal government believed it had done enough by freeing the slaves and now it was up to them to make their own way. Douglass called on the government to give former slaves the land that had been abandoned as federal troops advanced. Marcellus Barksdale comments about land affording the owner a feeling of control over his or her life. In January 1865, General Sherman offered black leaders abandoned land in the Sea Islands along the Georgia coast. It never happened. Gene Hatfield reports that many African Americans believed there was a promise of 40 acres and a mule for freed slaves. While a few former slaves were given land grants, they were revoked when the original white owners were pardoned by Pres. Andrew Johnson. Many former slaves became sharecroppers, some on the very plantations they had worked as slaves. Sharecroppers had nothing: no mule, land, house, plow, fertilizer, or seed. Everything was provided by the landowner in return for half of the crop produced. Under this economic system, former slaves soon were indebted and found themselves under a different type of bondage.

Georgia Stories 28: The Railroads and the New Georgia

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:20:20 +0000

Atlanta was originally called Terminus because it was the end of the line for the Western & Atlantic railroad. Ultimately, railroads made Georgia an economic success and a Civil War target. John Gilbert takes students on a tour of the Big Shanty Museum [now renamed The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History] and reveals that the Civil War was known as the railroad war because battles were fought up and down the rail lines. Tracks and bridges were constantly being destroyed and rebuilt to move troops and supplies for one side or the other. Dr. Gene Hatfield, a historian, recounts how after the Civil War steamboats were still in service, but it became the era of the railroad. All efforts went into repairing the tracks with most of the work done by African American men known as Gandy Dancers. “Gandy” because the equipment they used was supplied by the Gandy Manufacturing Company and “dancers” because of the rhythmic singing and movements they used to move heavy track. Folklorist Maggie Holtzberg, likens it to counting “1-2-3-lift” before several people attempt to move a heavy object. John Gilbert describes the remarkable feat of changing the track gauge (width) everywhere in Georgia in one 48-hour period to standardize it with that of northern railroads. According to Lesa Campbell of the Southern Railway Museum, the number of passenger trains stopping in Atlanta today is a mere trickle compared to their heyday in 1914 when 152 trains stopped every day. Today powerful diesel locomotives pull long freight trains and travelers have turned to cars and airplanes to reach their destinations.

Georgia Stories 27: Andersonville Prison

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:18:26 +0000

It would be bad enough to face the enemy on a battlefield, but being a prisoner of war (POW) could be far worse. During the Civil War, both sides had terrible prison camps, but one particular Georgia camp has become synonymous with inhumane treatment. Fort Sumter outside the town of Andersonville housed 30,000 prisoners in a facility designed for 10,000. Overcrowding and filthy conditions resulted in death by starvation, disease, exposure, or at the hands of other prisoners for nearly half of the POWs at Andersonville. Union reenactor Mark Stivitz describes conditions found by occupation forces and shows replicas of makeshift shelters built by prisoners. Bob Windham, a former POW in World War II and volunteer at Andersonville National Historic Site, has the highest regard for POWs. He wonders how people, who were fellow Americans, could possibly treat one another like that. Windham points to the many POW graves and reminds viewers that every person who was killed had a family waiting for his return.

Georgia Stories 26: The Civil War and the Black Soldier

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:16:43 +0000

Black Americans had a point to prove, and during the Civil War they did. First they fought for the right to fight when many whites did not want them to take up arms, and then they fought and died for a cause bigger than themselves. Within the Union ranks were 200,000 black soldiers–nearly 10 percent of the Union’s 2 million troops. One of the most famous companies of black soldiers was the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. Scenes from the movie Glory show the company’s assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina and the heroic action of Sgt. William Carney. Carney took the flag from the stricken color bearer, planted it on the fort, and retrieved it when his company retreated. K Company, 54th Massachusetts Infantry reenactors Ray Wozniack, James Hayes, and Bob English describe the difficulties faced by black soldiers and their white officers and discuss Sergeant Carney as a true American hero. Carney was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The segment concludes with footage of the memorial to the men of the 54th, erected more than 100 years ago in Boston. The inscription makes it clear that black soldiers did indeed prove their point. It reads: “Together they gave proof that Americans of African descent possess the pride, courage, and devotion of the Patriot soldier.”

Georgia Stories 25: The Battle of Jonesboro

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:13:51 +0000

Had the outcome of the battle of Jonesboro been different, the course of history may have been changed. Some say the Union victory helped President Lincoln to get reelected. Gen. William T. Sherman’s plan was to capture Atlanta and cut off the Confederate army’s major supply source which required winning battles in Dalton, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, and Jonesboro. Located about 20 miles south of Atlanta, Jonesboro was situated on the Macon & Western railroad, the last link of the supply route into Atlanta. Reenactor Peter Bonner describes how in the battle at Jonesboro 20,000 rebels faced 70,000 federal troops and by the second day only half of the Confederates were left. After two days of brutal fighting, Jonesboro fell with Atlanta soon to follow. Douglas Cubbison, a Union reenactor discusses the toll that bacteria and disease took on all soldiers throughout the war. While 200,000 died in battles in the Civil War, nearly 400,000 died from disease and infection. However, soldiers from both sides remained spirited. After Jonesboro, Gen. Patrick Cleburne led his outnumbered troops against Union soldiers in Nashville. This time the Confederate band played “Amazing Grace” as they marched into battle–many eerily hearing their funeral prayer as they fought.

Georgia Stories 24: The Trail of Tears

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:31:43 +0000

Even after the treaty ending Cherokee presence in Georgia was signed, many Indians waited, hoping that it would not happen. However, their removal did happen. Cherokee Indians were rounded up by U.S. soldiers under the command of Gen. Winfred Scott and herded into stockades until all were assembled. Mavis Doering recounts the words she heard from her grandmother who was on the Trail of Tears. Her grandmother said they were forced to leave without any personal belongings, and when they were some distance from their homes, they looked back from a hillside and saw their animals still grazing in the fields. With much emotion, Ramona Bear Taylor recalls similar stories from her ancestors. Beginning in October, it took four months to walk to Oklahoma. The cold, exposure to the elements, hunger, and disease suffered along the way claimed 4,000 Cherokee. A common sound at night was the noise of digging into the dirt to bury those who died that day. Creek Indian Jay McGirt states that one function of the medicine men was to keep peoples’ spirits up; there was little else they could do. These victims are remembered as their names are used by their descendants.

Georgia Stories 23: A Visit to New Echota

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:29:59 +0000

The Cherokees living in northwest Georgia observed what happened to the Creeks and learned something. They thought if they accepted the white culture and adopted white lifestyles, they could live together in peace with white Georgians. Today, New Echota Historic Site in Gordon County preserves what is left of the Cherokee capital. Ranger Frankie Mewborn guides students on a tour of the site and points out the aspects of Cherokee culture that paralleled that of whites. It was at New Echota that Sequoyah developed the Cherokee alphabet giving Cherokees a written language. There was a newspaper, a constitution that created a government patterned after that of the United States, and a supreme court. However, with the discovery of gold in north Georgia and the desire for land, it was not enough. In 1835, the Treaty of New Echota requiring the Cherokees to leave the southeast was signed by some Cherokee leaders. Chief John Ross spoke against it. While the Cherokee learned many things from the Creeks, they now learned their fate would be the same; the next step was their forced removal to Oklahoma.

Georgia Stories 22: The Story of Chief William McIntosh

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:28:24 +0000

Living in two worlds and pleasing the inhabitants of both is not an easy task. William McIntosh, son of a Creek woman and a Scotsman, managed to do it successfully for awhile. Chief McIntosh fought with the Americans during the War of 1812 and was given the rank of general. The Creeks called him the “white warrior.” McIntosh was a wealthy man and in 1823 built a hotel and tavern at Indian Springs in Butts County. The Creek Nation owned millions of acres of land, but the Indians were struggling. Creek Indian Jay McGirt differentiates between the Indian and the whites’ philosophy of land ownership. Creeks believed in land being held in common for use by all with no individual ownership. On February 12, 1825, Chief McIntosh signed a treaty at Indian Springs selling the remaining Creek land in Georgia for $200,000. He was denounced and condemned on the spot by some of his fellow Creeks. McIntosh said, “The white tide rises, we can’t fight or stop it and if we don’t sell, we will be cast aside, homeless and treated like animals without any place to go.” Nonetheless, McIntosh was executed for betraying his people. A reenactor describes the execution based on an eyewitness account. Like McIntosh himself, the words were half true. The Creeks were given a place to go; they were moved to Oklahoma.

Georgia Stories 21: African Roots

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:26:36 +0000

In the 1800s when there was no television to watch, movies to see, or video games to play people had other ways to entertain themselves. African slaves brought with them a strong oral tradition of storytelling, especially trickster tales, and told them in the evenings when the work was done. In trickster tales, the smaller and weaker character always manages to get the better of his larger, stronger protagonist by using his wits. These folktales were recorded by Joel Chandler Harris and known as the Uncle Remus stories when published. Popularized by Walt Disney in the 1940s, the tales feature a rabbit who uses his cleverness to escape from danger and get his way. Storyteller Akbar Imhotep entertains visitors to Joel Chandler Harris’s Atlanta home, Wren’s Nest, with trickster tales. His storytelling is interspersed with a dramatization of the story of Buh Rabbit, Buh Elephant, and Buh Whale from Gullah Tales.

Georgia Stories 20: The Growth of Slavery

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:24:57 +0000

The dream of freedom for slaves meant the freedom to be their own masters responsible for themselves and no more whips and chains. Some slaves made that dream a reality when they got on board the Underground Railroad. Savannah tour guide Ogbanna explains the Underground Railroad to students as he asks them to think differently when they hear the words train, tracks, and station. For escaping slaves, train could mean their own two feet, tracks could be a swamp, and a station could be the First African Baptist Church in Savannah. Established in 1773, the church is considered the oldest black church in America. Proving its status as an Underground Railroad station, its basement floorboards show patterns of holes drilled in them. These were ventilation holes for runaways hiding underneath. Ogbanna tells how slaves got on board the railroad by slipping into the woods bordering the fields where they worked. Murry Dorty of the Coastal Heritage Society explains how songs had hidden meanings to help and inspire runaways. Secret codes, passwords, and the use of signal lights all helped escaping slaves elude their captors. While most slaves traveled north to Canada, author Michael Thurmond describes how some fled south using the Okefenokee Swamp as a hiding place. These slaves intermarried with the Seminole Indians and some became tribal chiefs. No matter how or where they escaped it took great courage, but with freedom as the reward for success, it was worth all the risks.

Georgia Stories 19: King Cotton and the Cotton Gin

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:23:25 +0000

Today if you drive through Georgia in the summer, you will pass miles and miles of cotton fields. That was not always the case. It took one very small sized invention to make the difference – Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. With the debut of his invention in 1793, the history and economy of Georgia as well as that of the entire South was changed forever. John Johnson, director of Interpretation and Education at the Agrirama in Tifton, asks students to separate cotton seeds by hand before demonstrating the gin. This finger-hurting exercise makes it clear how the cotton gin revolutionized production. His explanation of the economic impact of going from one person able to seed one pound of cotton a day to the gin seeding 50 pounds of cotton a day, makes it clear how cotton became king. Johnson’s demonstration of picking cotton in the field makes another fact evident. To produce more cotton, more slaves were needed as field hands. The increase in cotton production saw a parallel increase in slavery. From 1790 to 1860 the slave population increased from fewer than 30,000 to more than 460,000. Dr. Jerry DeVine of Albany State College notes that slaves and land were the two greatest forms of wealth in Georgia, with more money invested in slaves than land.

Georgia Stories 18: The Nancy Hart Story

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:50:08 +0000

Have you ever played the parlor game of “telephone” where a phrase is whispered and passed along from person to person? When the final person states it aloud there is generally much laughter since it rarely matches the original phrase. The Nancy Hart story may be a great example of that old game. This reenactment of her well-known encounter with Tories and their fate shows how legends grow and change over time. Reenactor Sue Cone disputes some of the “facts” about Nancy Hart when questioned about her looks and actions. Cone acknowledges that the story more than likely has been embellished but is based in fact. Proof of Hart’s status as a legend is evident in a photograph of her housed in the Daughters of the American Revolution historical collection. One problem however, the photograph is dated one-half of a century before photography was invented! A northeast Georgia county is named for Nancy Hart, and it is the only one in the state named for a woman.

Georgia Stories 17: The Siege of Savannah

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:48:46 +0000

When recounting well-known battles of the American Revolution names like Lexington, Saratoga, and Bunker Hill invariably appear. Savannah, site of some of the bloodiest fighting as well as battlefield intrigue, is not often mentioned. From September to October in 1779, Georgia Patriots aided by the French tried to retake Savannah from the British. As explained by Dr. Preston Russell, a medical doctor and historian who paints miniatures of soldiers to create museum dioramas, the French first bombarded the city with cannonball fire in preparation of an attack. In early October, the American and French forces planned a surprise attack but were foiled when a deserter revealed their plans to the British, and they failed to attack before daybreak. Killed in the ensuing battle were the Polish Count Casimir Pulaski and the French Count Charles Henri d’Estaing, noblemen helping in the fight for liberty. Colonial reenactor J. Edward Jackson describes the actions of William Jasper also killed in the battle. All three men are remembered today as heroes of the American Revolution. As the Patriots were being routed by the British, another group stepped in and saved the day from becoming a massacre. Murry Dorty of the Coastal Heritage Society describes how black Haitian troops known as chasseurs stood their ground firing as the American troops retreated. In the end, a battle was lost, but the war was ultimately won.

Georgia Stories 16: The Big Question

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:46:41 +0000

Should the colony of Georgia take sides in the impending fight to separate from Great Britain? If the answer is yes, which side should the colony take? Should Georgians side with the Liberty Boys who want a complete separation from Great Britain or should they join the Loyalists who support British rule? That was the big question. As the youngest and poorest colony with a popular royal governor, these were not easy decisions to make. Laws passed by Parliament such as the Stamp Act taxing printed papers and documents, the Quartering Act requiring colonists to house British soldiers, the Townshend Act taxing products used by the colonists, and all the intolerable acts that closed the Boston harbor and punished citizens in Massachusetts were topics for spirited discussions. Using Stately Oaks mansion in Jonesboro as a setting, a group of men and women re-create a typical after-dinner discussion when a British merchant comes to call.

Georgia Stories 15: Georgia’s African Heritage

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:45:26 +0000

Just a short ferry boat ride away from the Georgia coast lies Hog Hammock, an African American community on Sapelo Island with cultural traditions that tie it to Africa. Slaves came to Georgia bringing nothing more than memories from their African homeland. Cornelia Bailey, a descendant of slaves who worked the plantations on Sapelo, imagines the terrible sadness her ancestors felt knowing they were so far away from home with no way to return. She believes some died from broken hearts, while others found relief imagining they could turn into sea birds and fly back across the ocean. Today the residents of Hog Hammock are recognized for the African culture they continue. Yvonne Grovner and her son make baskets, a skill passed along from Allen Green who has been making them for more than 70 years. The Sea Island Singers demonstrate African-style singing and movements such as body slapping, hand clapping, and buck dancing. These movements replaced drums that were forbidden for use by slaves. Stanley Walker is a cast net maker, demonstrating how to cast a net that makes a perfect circle in the water. As he uses the cast net to fish, he wonders if his counterpart in Sierra Leone is catching enough fish for his dinner as well.

Georgia Stories 14: Georgia’s Oldest Congregation

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:43:51 +0000

Within the context of a bar mitzvah, Rabbi R.A. Belzer tells the story of the arrival of Georgia’s first Jewish settlers. Colonial America’s reputation as a haven for those seeking religious freedom is a well-known historical fact. The city of Savannah can boast that it is the home of Congregation Mickve Israel, Georgia’s oldest Jewish congregation and the third oldest in the country. For centuries Jews had been persecuted and forced to hide their beliefs because openly practicing their religion could result in torture and death. In the early 1700s, a small group of Jews living in Portugal sailed for England and then Georgia. Just three months after Oglethorpe and the first colonists arrived in Georgia there was a malaria outbreak, and this second group of colonists made a very timely arrival. In the midst of these Jewish settlers was Dr. Samuel Nunez, a physician knowledgeable in the treatment of infectious diseases. Oglethorpe called Nunez Georgia’s first hero because of the many lives he saved.

Georgia Stories: 13: The Scottish Highlanders

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:42:04 +0000

Look around and you will see people from many different countries studying, living, and working in Georgia. Today’s cultural diversity mirrors the Georgia colony in the early 1700s. One group of colonists from Scotland put down deep roots along the Georgia coast that are in evidence today. Arriving from the highlands of Scotland, this group of settlers came to help defend Georgia from Spanish invaders and to make a new home for themselves. As reenactors explain, the fierce Scottish warriors shared many characteristics with the Native Americans they encountered. Their dress was similar and they had a strong connection to the land. As a reenactor portrays Margaret McIntosh, wife of the Scots’ leader, she makes it clear that Scottish women were strong too and knew how to defend themselves, skills that were critical when the men were away fighting.

Georgia Stories 12: Pirates

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:40:23 +0000

Pirates! The very word brings shivers to those who sail the seas. Popular movies romanticize their deeds, but to Georgia colonists in the mid-18th century, their exploits were to be feared rather than admired. Georgia’s coast and coastal islands were havens where pirates could hide. Blackbeard Island off the Georgia coast from McIntosh County is named for none other than Edward Teach, the fearsome pirate who sailed the along the coast. David Gurnsey of the Ships of The Sea Maritime Museum in Savannah answers many questions about pirates.

Georgia Stories 11: Colonial Surgeon

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:38:54 +0000

As it turns out, the phrase “bite the bullet” had real meaning to soldiers wounded on the battlefield. Doctors in the 18th century treated patients without any form of anesthetics and with no knowledge of the importance of hygiene. Biting on a bullet, as demonstrated by Michael Williams, a colonial surgeon reenactor at Wormsloe Plantation was what soldiers did to withstand the pain of treatment. Williams displays various surgical instruments and “demonstrates” on students how treatments of amputation, bleeding, and even cutting holes in the skull (trepanning) were used to treat injuries. Although we may cringe at the sight of the surgeon’s crude instruments, colonial doctors who used them actually saved many lives.

Georgia Stories 10: Daily Life in Georgia

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:35:31 +0000

Was Georgia the temperate paradise as originally described by James Oglethorpe? Not according to these reenactors. The first English colonists faced a wilderness plagued by insects, heat, and disease. Of the original 144 colonists, nearly one in three died. An annual re-creation of colonial life held at Wormsloe Plantation near Savannah presents an opportunity for us to observe the colonists’ way of life and see demonstrations of the skills needed to face the challenges of settling the new colony. A “colonial lady” explains typical parts of her dress. Other colonists demonstrate how cypress shingles were made, fires started without matches, and how a flintlock gun was fired. Life in colonial Georgia does not appear to be easy.

Georgia Stories 9: Keeping Cultures Alive Today

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:40:58 +0000

Marie Juneluska knows it is important for her daughter Nina to stay connected to her Cherokee heritage. How can she do that in today’s modern society? Marie teaches Nina to make grated corn bread from scratch and drills her on the meaning of Cherokee words as she learns the language. This segment shows ways in which today’s Cherokees are transmitting the remnants of their culture to the younger generation in an attempt to preserve what is left. Cherokee cultural traditions in food preparation, language, and songs and dances are shown.

Georgia Stories 8: Tough Choices

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:38:26 +0000

We make decisions every day and some are far more important than others–they may determine our future. The Cherokees had an important decision to make. Should they maintain their own culture resisting that of the white man, or should they give up their ways and adopt those of white settlers? The Cherokee tried to adapt to white society with the ultimate result being their virtual disappearance from Georgia. Cherokee John Standingdeer recounts the legend that developed over the years to describe this choice. His story is illustrated with images from the dramatic film, Voices in the Wind.

Georgia Stories 7: Cultures Blend

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:36:23 +0000

Do you know any funny stories to tell about your relatives or even yourself? If you do, you know one way that culture and traditions are passed through generations. Learning stories about our past tells us where we came from and it gives us roots. Cherokee John Standingdeer describes how his family was named and why knowing it mattered to him. He explains how Native Americans were self sufficient and lived off the land prior to the arrival of Europeans. Two events robbed the Indians of their culture: the introduction of diseases such as smallpox, measles, and influenza that wiped out an estimated 80 percent of the native population and a growing dependency on the white man’s steel tools and weapons. With so many people dying, the cultural memory of Georgia’s Native Americans was lost. As Indians adopted the white man’s way their culture eroded further. Danny Arch explains how the Cherokees’ changing relationship with the deer reflected this cultural transition.

Georgia Stories 6: Hernando de Soto

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:34:32 +0000

What happens when a primitive society is overrun by a more advanced one? The travels of Hernando de Soto through Georgia and the Southeast are a good illustration of the havoc created especially when a quest for gold is mixed in. Hernando de Soto and his men, already rich from fighting with the Incas in South America, arrived in La Florida searching for gold. Jerald Milanich, an archaeologist at the University of Florida explains the conquistadors’ success. Under de Soto’s leadership, the Spaniards came to North America with armored horses and attack dogs and never looked back. They intimidated and killed the Indians they encountered, either in battle or through the spread of deadly diseases that nearly decimated the native population. Journals written by several of de Soto’s men remain an important legacy of the encounter. Recorded in them are the names of people and places and stories of the native culture that de Soto nearly destroyed.

Georgia Stories 5: Primitive Technology

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:30:50 +0000

What if there were no shopping malls or grocery stores? Primitive cultures living in Georgia thousands of years ago would not care. Everything they needed, they made. Today it is important to the surviving native cultures to continue practicing the skills and sharing the traditions that ensured survival. Davy Arch, a Cherokee carver shows animal masks that were worn during dances. Their purpose was to give hunters animal characteristics needed for a successful hunt. Eddie Bushyhead, a storyteller and musician tells the legend of how the woodpecker gave the flute to the Cherokee people. Arch discusses river cane as an all-purpose material used in building houses, making weapons, and weaving baskets. He demonstrates a cane blow gun and flint knapping to make stone tools such as knives and projectile points. Women were tool makers and Arch discusses their important role in the Cherokee culture as heads of councils that made decisions about war and slavery. Eddie Bushyhead tells a humorous story about the lack of profanity in the Cherokee language and how the Indians got around it.

Georgia Stories 4: Archaeology

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:28:30 +0000

The word “archaeologist” may conjure up the image of Indiana Jones in romantic, faraway places, but the most exciting archaeological discoveries are under our feet right in our Georgia backyard. Archaeologist John Worth of the Fernbank Museum of Natural History takes us on a dig at Raccoon Ridge near Madison, in Morgan County. Worth’s work is closer to another fictional character, Sherlock Holmes, as he combs through the dirt, mud, and scum to uncover the tiniest artifacts in order to understand how the earliest Georgians lived. He explains how the shapes, designs, and the composition of artifacts can be interpreted to tell the story of native cultures. Worth conveys the excitement of finding and being the first person to touch an artifact that was last touched by a human during the Ice Age. Through archaeology, Worth has learned that while there are many cultural differences between us and the people he has studied, there are also a lot of similarities!

Georgia Stories 3: The Okefenokee Swamp

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:57 +0000

This segment examines typical wildlife found in the swamp and covers the history of people who lived in the swamp. Don Berryhill, science specialist with the Okefenokee Regional Education Service Agency guides students in a canoe through the swamp and points out alligators, snakes, and insect-eating pitcher plants explaining their places in the food chain. Georgia is home to one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the country and it has a very specialized ecosystem. Bill Cribbs, a descendant of a subsistence farmer who came to Billy’s Island in the Okfenokee in the late 1800s and park ranger Pete Griffin describe life in the swamp when people worked at the Hebard Lumber Company cutting cypress trees. Following in the footsteps of the first human inhabitants of the swamp: the prehistoric Indian cultures, Timucans, Creeks, and finally the Seminoles, members of the logging community lived in the swamp until 1936 when the federal government bought it and established it as a national refuge. Like any mysterious place, legends abound, and Cribbs and Griffin have a few stories to tell.

Georgia Stories 2: Geology of Georgia

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:57:47 +0000

Follow a visit under a mountain led by Allen Padgett from the Department of Natural Resources. Padgett leads a group of students into a cave in Cloudland Canyon in the Appalachian Plateau of northwest Georgia. Along the way he describes how caves and valleys in north Georgia were formed by the forces of nature lifting up massive rocks to create mountains with pockets underneath. Acidic rain dripping through cracks continues the process of hollowing out the earth leaving Georgia with nearly 350 caves. In a trip back through time, the group encounters bats, a cold underground mountain stream, and stalactites and stalagmites as they walk on what once was the bottom of an ocean.

Georgia Stories 1: The Land and Fossils

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:55:37 +0000

In any story, the stage must first be set. Georgia’s story begins showing how its geography was shaped and molded by the forces of nature. Sweeping scenes show off the geographic variety of the state east to west and north to south, from the ocean to the mountains, the swamp to the rivers, and all of the wildlife in between. The stark contrast of the sandy soils of south Georgia to the granite outcroppings of north Georgia are explained with a visit to Macon’s Museum of Arts and Sciences and the home of the giant whale fossil Zygorhiza known as “Ziggy.” Fossils like this one aid in understanding the formation of the state.

Georgia Stories Biographies: Mary Musgrove

web@gpb.org (Georgia Public Broadcasting) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:38:39 +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.