Yazoo Land Fraud

Georgia was too weak after the Revolution to defend its western land. This land was called the "Yazoo lands" for the river that fl...

In 1789, the legislature sold about 25 million acres to three companies. The sale was halted six months later because Georgia wanted payment...

The leader of the business men, James Gunn, arranged for payments of money and land to legislators, state officials, newspaper editors, and ...

After hearing about the bribery, Georgia's leading U.S. senator James Jackson resigned his seat and returned home to overturn the sale. ...

In 1802, commissioners from Georgia, including Jackson, transferred the land and the Yazoo claims to the federal government. The United Stat...