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Modern day Georgia was inhabited by a moundbuilding culture prior to European settlement. In 1540,
the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto traveled through the region. England and Spain both vied for
control of Georgia, especially after the foundation of the Carolina colony by the British; this would
provide a buffer to protect British interests from the Spanish in Florida and the French in modern
Alabama.
Eventually, General James Edward Oglethorpe sailed with the first group of colonists and established
the town of Savannah in 1733. Georgia subsequently became a royal colony, and territorial disputes
with the Spanish ended.
Georgia, as one of the original thirteen colonies, revolted against the British during the American
Revolution and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Georgia became the fourth state on
January 2, 1788. Turbulence entered the region as the American Civil War took hold, and Georgia
joined the Confederacy in 1861. General William T. Sherman of the Union destroyed a large swath of
Georgia in his March to the Sea. Following Reconstruction, Georgia once more became a member of the
Union.
Cotton, which had been important as an agricultural crop in Georgia, suffered from boll weevil
infestation, which essentially ended an era of plantation farming and led to a farm depression.
Georgia recovered from this, but the era of cotton would not return to its previous importance.
Following integration of public schools, Georgia weathered racial tensions and strife. Again Georgia
recovered, and today the state is home to a diverse population, with Atlanta as its bright and
promising capital and core.
Many famous people have called Georgia their home. Among these are poet Conrad Aiken, singer James
Brown, former president Jimmy Carter, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., singer Little
Richard, actor Burt Reynolds, singer Gladys Knight, author Margaret Mitchell, songwriter Johnny
Mercer, singer Trisha Yearwood, and author Alice Walker, among many others.
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