Deriving its name from the Cherokee word for yellow, the town of Dahlonega opened a branch of the United States Mint in 1835 just as the Cherokee were being removed from the area. On April 17, 1838, the first
gold coins were minted, capping off nearly a decade of settlement and economic expansion in the wake of the
Georgia Gold Rush. The Georgia Historical Society hosts an
online exhibit of primary documents from the time. An episode of
Today in Georgia History is also available, along with a
daily activity.
Just ten years earlier, Lower Creek chief William McIntosh, also known as Tustunneggee Hutkee or the White Warrior, was killed by his own people on April 30, 1825, for signing the Treaty of Indian Springs. During McIntosh's time as chief in the years following the War of 1812, the Creeks ceded nearly all of their land to Georgia and the United States.
Georgia Public Broadcasting's film crew has had a busy month! In March they filmed at Andersonville Prison for living history interviews and at Aflac Insurance to focus on entrepreneurship in Georgia.
Filming also commenced at state parks throughout Georgia: Elijah Clark State Park for the physical geography of the Savannah River, Red Top Mountain State Park for the Valley and Ridge regional geography and Panola Mountain for the Piedmont regional geography, as well as High Falls State Park for the physical geography of Georgia's Fall Line. Finally, we visited Indian Springs State Park to get a closer look at the history of the Creek Nation.
In April we will be in at least three more parks: Chattahoochee Bend State Park for the Chattahoochee River, Stephen C. Foster State Park for the Okefenokee Swamp, and Reed Bingham State Park in Adel for the geography of the Coastal Plains. Lastly, we will drop by the Chief John Ross House for historical interviews and coverage of the Cherokee Nation and the Battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War as well as historical interviews.
All of this footage will soon be available to Georgia educators and students in the form of virtual field trips accompanied by teacher resources. Check out our current virtual field trips at http://www.gpb.org/education/virtual-field-trip and stay tuned!
Spotlight On The Standards
Native Identity and Removal (SS8H5d)
A discussion of the tragedies that befell Native Americans in Georgia after the American Revolution is contained in unit 4, chapter ten. An expandable map of the Five Civilized Tribes is available to give students a closer look at the region (p. 234). Maps and pop-out pictures of Creek heritage allow students a better understanding of
Alexander McGillivray,
William McIntosh and the
removal of Creek Indians from Georgia (236-241).
Cherokee Native American Sequoyah and his syllabary show students the advanced language capacity of Indians in Georgia (245-246). The resistance and eventual removal of the Cherokees and chief John Ross are accompanied by a map, letter, and speech before Congress (249-252).
Among the factors influencing Native removal are the 1828 Dahlonega Gold Rush (247), which includes an Events in History enrichment page and an episode of Today in Georgia History (255). As tensions increased between the Cherokee and white settlers, a court case threw the federal government into the mix. Worcester v. Georgia, chief justice John Marshall, and president Andrew Jackson are covered with a map to help students understand the encroachment upon Cherokee land (248). An additional speech by Jackson to the Cherokees gives students a better perspective (253).
The eventual forced removal of Native Americans by way of the Trail of Tears is complemented by a map and episode of Today in Georgia History (249-251).
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