The
Yazoo lands were the sparsely-populated central and western areas of the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
, when its western border stretched back to the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. It was named for the
Yazoo tribeThe Yazoo tribe was a Native American tribe on the lower course of Yazoo River, Mississippi, in close connection with several other tribes, the most important of which was the Tunica ....
of
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
. Several other places and things were named
YazooYazoo may mean:*Yazoo , a 1980s English pop band renamed Yaz for the U.S. market*Yazoo , a flavoured milk drink made by Campina*Yazoo County, Mississippi*Yazoo City, Mississippi*Yazoo River, in the state of Mississippi*Yazoo Delta Railroad...
, either for or along with the lands.
These lands later became the states of
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
and
MississippiMississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
. The far western
panhandleA panhandle or salient is an informal geographic term for an elongated tail-like protrusion of a geo-political entity, such as an administrative division or a sovereign state that extends into another such entity as a peninsula extends into the sea. The former "folksy" term derives from the...
of Spanish territory
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
became the panhandles of the two states, and a small strip
claimClaim may refer to:* Claim * Claim * Land claim* Proposition - a statement which is either true or false* A right* Sequent, in mathematics* A main contention, see conclusion of law...
ed by South Carolina (see
Treaty of BeaufortThe Treaty of Beaufort, also called the Beaufort Convention, is the treaty that originally set the all-river boundary between the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina...
), also going west to the river, became their border counties with
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
(itself a former part of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
) in the Treaty of 1816.
In the 1790s, the Yazoo lands were the subject of a major political
scandalA scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed. A scandal may be based on true or false allegations or a mixture of both....
in the state of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
, called the
Yazoo land scandalThe Yazoo Land Scandal, Yazoo Fraud or Yazoo Land Fraud was a massive fraud perpetrated by several Georgia governors and the state legislature from 1794 to 1803 by selling large tracts of land to insiders at absurdly low prices....
.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Yazoo lands' Start a new discussion about 'Yazoo lands' Answer questions from other users |
The
Yazoo lands were the sparsely-populated central and western areas of the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
, when its western border stretched back to the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. It was named for the
Yazoo tribeThe Yazoo tribe was a Native American tribe on the lower course of Yazoo River, Mississippi, in close connection with several other tribes, the most important of which was the Tunica ....
of
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
. Several other places and things were named
YazooYazoo may mean:*Yazoo , a 1980s English pop band renamed Yaz for the U.S. market*Yazoo , a flavoured milk drink made by Campina*Yazoo County, Mississippi*Yazoo City, Mississippi*Yazoo River, in the state of Mississippi*Yazoo Delta Railroad...
, either for or along with the lands.
These lands later became the states of
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
and
MississippiMississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
. The far western
panhandleA panhandle or salient is an informal geographic term for an elongated tail-like protrusion of a geo-political entity, such as an administrative division or a sovereign state that extends into another such entity as a peninsula extends into the sea. The former "folksy" term derives from the...
of Spanish territory
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
became the panhandles of the two states, and a small strip
claimClaim may refer to:* Claim * Claim * Land claim* Proposition - a statement which is either true or false* A right* Sequent, in mathematics* A main contention, see conclusion of law...
ed by South Carolina (see
Treaty of BeaufortThe Treaty of Beaufort, also called the Beaufort Convention, is the treaty that originally set the all-river boundary between the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina...
), also going west to the river, became their border counties with
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
(itself a former part of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
) in the Treaty of 1816.
In the 1790s, the Yazoo lands were the subject of a major political
scandalA scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed. A scandal may be based on true or false allegations or a mixture of both....
in the state of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
, called the
Yazoo land scandalThe Yazoo Land Scandal, Yazoo Fraud or Yazoo Land Fraud was a massive fraud perpetrated by several Georgia governors and the state legislature from 1794 to 1803 by selling large tracts of land to insiders at absurdly low prices....
. It led to Georgia's cession of the land to the U.S. government in the
Compact of 1802The Compact of 1802 was a compact made by U.S. president Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the state of Georgia. In it, the United States paid Georgia 1.25 million U.S. dollars for its central and western lands , and promised that the U.S...
.
External links
Further reading
- Pickett’s History of Alabama: And Incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi from the Earliest Period. By Albert James Pickett. River City Press, 2003. ISBN 1-880216-70-1