Georgia (state), one of the South Atlantic states of the United States.
Founded in 1733, Georgia was the last of the 13 original English colonies
to be established in what is now the United States. Georgia emerged as a
state during the American Revolution (1775-1783), and Georgians were among
the first signers of the Declaration of Independence. On January 2, 1788,
Georgia became the first Southern state to ratify the Constitution of the
United States. Georgia developed slowly and did not begin to prosper until
late in the 18th century. However, during the first half of the 19th century
Georgia flourished as an agricultural state, with vast cotton and rice
plantations. By 1860 Georgia was one of the wealthiest Southern states, and
stately plantation homes graced the rolling hills of the coastal and central
sections of the state.
The American Civil War (1861-1865) and its aftermath were major turning
points in the economic and social life of Georgia. The state was devastated
during the war, and after the abolition of slavery the plantation system was
replaced by tenant farm neo-plantation form of agriculture that still focused
on traditional agricultural products such as cotton, tobacco, peanuts, and
grain crops. The state remained poor, and during the Great Depression of the
1930s it was particularly devastated as the boll weevil decimated the cotton
economy. Migration to other states seemed to be one of the few ways of
overcoming poverty. The state remained primarily agricultural in nature until
the early 1950s, when the development of industry began to accelerate. By the
early 1960s, industrial production far outranked agriculture as the chief
source of income. In the mid-1990s Georgia had an economy based on manufacturing
and service industries. Atlanta, the largest city and capital of the state,
serves as an important economic center of the South and the nation.
The early colony was named in honor of King George II of Great Britain. Over
the years the state has acquired many nicknames. Nicknames include the Buzzard
State, in commemoration of an early state law to protect buzzards; and the
Goober State, for the state's enormous annual peanut crop. Georgia is sometimes
referred to as the Cracker State, a term of uncertain origin. Several 19th-century
authorities attributed the term to "the crackers, the lowest and most ignorant of
Georgia citizens prior to the abolition of slavery." It may also stem from the custom
of wagoners who cracked whips over the heads of their oxen. Two nicknames, however,
are gaining frequency in use. Georgia is known as the Peach State, for the famous
peaches grown there, and the peach emblem is on the state's automobile license
plates. Georgia is also known as the Empire State of the South. This nickname
alludes to New York, which is known as the Empire State, and reflects Georgia's
size and the rapid development of its economy.
