Georgia History Primary Source Sets
The boll weevil took up residence in Georgia’s cotton fields between 1915 and the early 1990s and the infestation made cotton production unprofitable. This booklet, created by the Georgia State Board of Entomology in 1916, offered farmers some insight into the boll weevil infestation.
Eugene Talmadge served as governor from 1933-1937, 1941-1943, and was elected again in 1946. During his governorship he promoted limited government, low taxes, and the plight of the farmer. This handbill comes from Talmadge’s final gubernatorial election of 1946.
Click here to view the item description in the Georgia Archives
Eugene Talmage became a dominant figure in Georgia politics from 1926 to 1946. His first successful bid for office came in 1926 when he won the race for Commissioner of Agriculture.Throughout his political career, Talmadge portrayed himself as a friend of the farmer. While serving as Commissioner of Agriculture, he promoted his political views through the office newsletter.
Click here to read the item description from the Georgia Archives.
On September 25th, 1918, an estimated 130 men from Georgia lost their lives in a tragic accident as a violent wave caused a crash between the Otranto and Kashmir, two ships carrying troops to England. The crash caused the Otranto to veer off course and sink. The small town of Nashville, Georgia lost 20 citizens in the accident. Residents of Nashville erected a monument to the victims of the disaster after the war. The front page of the Daily Times Enterprise on October 12, 1918, covers more WWI topics than the Otranto sinking. The front page offers general war news and, in the left corner, an ad for war bonds and stamps.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration (WPA) by executive order in 1935 as a part of his New Deal. The WPA acted as a work-relief program hiring unemployed citizens to build roads, bridges, airports, public parks, and other public facilities. WPA programs also included the federal art, music, theater, and writer’s projects. People were also employed for other tasks, including sewing, bookbinding and working in schools.
Like most places in the world, Georgia was affected by the First World War and played a major role, even as the country initially ignored the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. By the end of the war, though, the state housed many training grounds for American troops and contributed around 100,000 Georgians to U.S. forces. The war also affected much of the homefront, as women and African-Americans began taking part in the workforce when men went across the ocean, especially as white men were actively trying to prohibit black men from volunteering or being drafted to join the military. After the war, the rest of the nation was experiencing intense urbanization, but most of the South was remaining fairly rural and extremely segregated. When economic depression hit, African-Americans were hit hardest and many New Deal plans fell flat. These sources demonstrate Georgian life for blacks and whites during the First World War and through the Great Depression.
Click here to view the teacher guide to this primary source set.
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