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Copyright 2001. The Lazy 'C' - All rights reserved.
history
In early 1955, Atlanta attorney John Sammons Bell (who later served as a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals) suggested a new state flag for Georgia that would incorporate the Confederate Battle Flag. At the 1956 session of the General Assembly, state senators Jefferson Lee Davis and Willis Harden introduced Senate Bill 98 to change the state flag. Signed into law on February 13, 1956, the bill became effective the following July 1.
A copy of the new flag displayed at the 1956 signing ceremony shows slight differences from the state flag commonly produced (and shown above). In the 1956 version, the stars are larger, and only the centre point of the central star points straight up. Also, the first copies of the 1956 flag used a different version of the state seal. In the summer of 1954, a new redrawn state seal began to appear on state government documents. By the end of the decade, flag makers were using the new seal on Georgia's official state flags.
A copy of the new flag displayed at the 1956 signing ceremony shows slight differences from the state flag commonly produced (and shown above). In the 1956 version, the stars are larger, and only the centre point of the central star points straight up. Also, the first copies of the 1956 flag used a different version of the state seal. In the summer of 1954, a new redrawn state seal began to appear on state government documents. By the end of the decade, flag makers were using the new seal on Georgia's official state flags.
Nickname: The Peach State.
Capital: Atlanta.
Constitution: The 4th State.
Statehood: January 2nd 1788.
Motto: Wisdom, Justice and Moderation
History:
The first people to live in what is now Georgia were prehistoric Indians called Mound Builders. Spanish and French settlers fought over the territory in the 1500's. England claimed the region in the early 1600's. Of the 13 colonies that fought in the American Revolution (1775-1783), Georgia was the last one founded.
The American Civil War began in 1861, and Georgia became the fifth state to secede (withdraw) from the Union. Georgia was permanently readmitted on July 15, 1870. Manufacturing and trade began to expand in Georgia during the 1870's. Georgia faced serious racial problems in the 1950's and 1960's.
Bird:
Brown Thrasher - On April 6, 1935, the brown thrasher was first chosen as the Georgia state bird by official proclamation of the Governor. In 1970, at the request of the Garden Clubs of Georgia, it was designated by the Legislature as the official state bird. The thrasher is commonly found in the eastern section of the United States, ranging north to Canada and west to the Rockies. The bird migrates to the North in the summer and spends its winters in the Southern states.
Almost a foot in length, the thrasher has a long, curved bill and a very long tail. It has two prominent white wing bars, a rich brown colour on its top side, and a creamy white breast heavily streaked with brown.
Economy:
Agriculture: Poultry and eggs, peanuts, cattle, hogs, dairy products, vegetables.
Industry: Textiles and apparel, transportation equipment, food processing, paper products, chemical products, electric equipment, tourism.
Flower:
In 1916, with the support of the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs, the Cherokee rose was named the state floral emblem. The name "Cherokee Rose" is a local designation derived from the Cherokee Indians who widely distributed the plant.
The rose is excessively thorny and generously supplied with leaves of a vivid green. In colour, it is waxy white with a large golden centre. Blooming time is in the early spring, but favourable conditions will produce, in the autumn of the year, a second flowering of this hardy plant.
Origin of state's name:
Named for King George II of England.
Tartan:
The tartan commemorates the founding of the State of Georgia and combines elements in the design associated with its historic past. General Oglethorpe commanded the Highland Independent Company of Foot which, in 1746, wore the Black Watch tartan. Captain John ‘Mohr’ MacIntosh is remembered in the MacIntosh red. Georgia tartan is much in evidence at the annual Stone Mountain Highland Games held in Atlanta, Georgia’s capital.
Tree:
In 1937, the live oak was adopted as the official tree at the request of the Edmund Burke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It flourishes along the coastal plains and on the islands where the first settlers made their homes. Many famous Georgians, as early as General James Edward Oglethorpe, were able to enjoy its beauty.
The first people to live in what is now Georgia were prehistoric Indians called Mound Builders. Spanish and French settlers fought over the territory in the 1500's. England claimed the region in the early 1600's. Of the 13 colonies that fought in the American Revolution (1775-1783), Georgia was the last one founded.
The American Civil War began in 1861, and Georgia became the fifth state to secede (withdraw) from the Union. Georgia was permanently readmitted on July 15, 1870. Manufacturing and trade began to expand in Georgia during the 1870's. Georgia faced serious racial problems in the 1950's and 1960's.
Bird:
Brown Thrasher - On April 6, 1935, the brown thrasher was first chosen as the Georgia state bird by official proclamation of the Governor. In 1970, at the request of the Garden Clubs of Georgia, it was designated by the Legislature as the official state bird. The thrasher is commonly found in the eastern section of the United States, ranging north to Canada and west to the Rockies. The bird migrates to the North in the summer and spends its winters in the Southern states.
Almost a foot in length, the thrasher has a long, curved bill and a very long tail. It has two prominent white wing bars, a rich brown colour on its top side, and a creamy white breast heavily streaked with brown.
Economy:
Agriculture: Poultry and eggs, peanuts, cattle, hogs, dairy products, vegetables.
Industry: Textiles and apparel, transportation equipment, food processing, paper products, chemical products, electric equipment, tourism.
Flower:
In 1916, with the support of the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs, the Cherokee rose was named the state floral emblem. The name "Cherokee Rose" is a local designation derived from the Cherokee Indians who widely distributed the plant.
The rose is excessively thorny and generously supplied with leaves of a vivid green. In colour, it is waxy white with a large golden centre. Blooming time is in the early spring, but favourable conditions will produce, in the autumn of the year, a second flowering of this hardy plant.
Origin of state's name:
Named for King George II of England.
Tartan:
The tartan commemorates the founding of the State of Georgia and combines elements in the design associated with its historic past. General Oglethorpe commanded the Highland Independent Company of Foot which, in 1746, wore the Black Watch tartan. Captain John ‘Mohr’ MacIntosh is remembered in the MacIntosh red. Georgia tartan is much in evidence at the annual Stone Mountain Highland Games held in Atlanta, Georgia’s capital.
Tree:
In 1937, the live oak was adopted as the official tree at the request of the Edmund Burke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It flourishes along the coastal plains and on the islands where the first settlers made their homes. Many famous Georgians, as early as General James Edward Oglethorpe, were able to enjoy its beauty.