On January 7, 1795, Georgia governor George Mathews signed the Yazoo Act, which transferred 35 million acres in present-day Alabama and Mississippi to four companies for $500,000.

What did the Yazoo Act allow Georgia’s legislature to do?

Yazoo land fraud, in U.S. history, scheme by which Georgia legislators were bribed in 1795 to sell most of the land now making up the state of Mississippi (then a part of Georgia’s western claims) to four land companies for the sum of $500,000, far below its potential market value. News of the Yazoo Act and the dealing
 

What efforts did Georgia’s legislature make to reverse the Yazoo Act?

Jared Irwin and U.S. Senator James Jackson led the reform efforts: Irwin was elected Governor of Georgia and, less than two months after taking office, signed a bill on February 13, 1796 nullifying the Yazoo Act. The state burned all copies of the bill except for one that had been sent to President George Washington.

What was the purpose of the Georgia land policies?

Why was this system used? Wanted to give land to people who would build homes, farm the land, and defend it. Their goal was to strengthen the state and increase the population in order to increase Georgia’s power in the House of Representatives.

What happens when Georgians found out about the Yazoo act?

Soon after taking office, Irwin signed a bill that nullified the Yazoo Act, and the state offered refunds to buyers. Most denied the refund and decided to hold onto the land instead. The state then ceded all lands west of Georgia’s present-day border to the federal government.
 

Why did the Yazoo act cause public outrage in Georgia?

Why did the Yazoo Act cause public outrage in Georgia? Territory that could have been granted to individual settlers was instead sold to land companies who bribed lawmakers in GA.

Why would Georgia decide to use a lottery system to give out land grants?

The lottery system was utilized by the State of Georgia between the years 1805 and 1833 “to strengthen the state and increase the population in order to increase Georgia’s power in the House of Representatives.” Although some other states used land lotteries, none were implemented at the scale of the Georgia contests.

What was the benefit of the land lotteries?

Therefore, the land lottery not only increased the landholdings of common Georgians but also increased their ability to become slaveholders and enter the planter class. The final land lottery was conducted in 1833 to dispense with the remaining territory from the 1832 lotteries.