Augusta, Ga (jan 13, 1786 – jan 1, 1795)

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Augusta became Georgia’s second capital city in 1785. Augusta helped shape the government and economy of the new state post-revolutionary war. As more people continued to move inland, Augusta became the capital. Many people were worried that Savannah could be attacked again due to it being directly on the coast. Since more people were living farther from the coast, Augusta made more sense at the time. While as the capital, Augusta was the center of everything political and legal in Georgia. One of the most important events while the capital was Georgia agreeing to the U.S. Constitution in 1788. This made Georgia the 4th state to officially join the United States. Important meetings also happened there about making peace treaties with Native American groups and talking about land deals. One of the oldest buildings still standing in Augusta is the Old Government House. From 1801 to 1821, it was used as the local courthouse.
Some famous people lived and worked in Augusta while as the capital. Governor Edward Telfair ran the state from there, and leaders like George Walton and Lyman Hall also worked in Augusta. The city had lots of merchants, lawyers, and farmers who helped the local economy grow. Because Augusta was still on the Savannah River, it was a great place for trade and business. Augusta did have problems too. As more people continued to move west, Augusta was no longer in a good spot for running the state. It was too far east and hard to reach for people in the middle or western parts of Georgia. Other cities like Savannah and Atlanta also grew bigger and stronger, leaving Augusta behind. Even though Augusta didn’t stay the capital for long, it played a big role in Georgia’s early history. A lot of important decisions were made there that helped shape the state. Today, it’s still an important city with a lot of history.


Sources:
Johnson, Amanda. “A STATE IN THE MAKING: Georgia (1783-1798).” The Georgia Historical Quarterly 15, no. 1 (1931): 1–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40576176.

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