The Identity Of Freedom In James C. Cobb's Georgia Odyssey

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In James C. Cobb 's book Georgia Odyssey, the identity of freedom has had a constantly changing face from the settlement of Georgia to the present day. During these turbulent times, Georgians had many obstacles to overcome throughout history. They strived to achieve equality, and their own face and voice in their communities. These changes began during the 1800s when slavery was at its peak and continued to move through time when it eventually climaxed in the late 1900s when racism was at the melting point. Once the tipping point was met, the concepts of freedom went through another change to meet the demands of time. Georgia experienced a radical change in an idea that began with America 's forefathers and has proven its flexibility in its
As the once mighty had begun to fall, the lowly and poor “cracker” population rose up; thus forever changing the fates of political and social powers, and redistributing them. Land redistribution by the State of Georgia allowed many Georgians to obtain upwards of 200 acres each, and around 10 slaves. Treaties with the local Indians made more land available. Georgians claimed much of their land as their own and forced them out of their homes. The Indians were ill prepared and forced into fully loaded down wagons full of people. In fact, it was one of Georgia’s most regretful acts in history. By forcing out 645 wagons full of Cherokee Indians towards the state of Oklahoma where many had died along the way, Georgians had earned a bad reputation. The treatment of the Cherokee Indians was considered a cruel and selfish act, and the Cherokee Indians did not gain their equality until much
Georgia however was the first state to reject the 19th amendment. In 1922 the first female U.S. Senator was Rebecca Latimer Felton, she was 87 and was a feminist advocate. Although she was just a replacement for a chair, this made huge strides in women’s rights in Georgia, even though she was shortly replaced by yet another male. Although, women did not receive the right to vote in Georgia until 1970 when it was ratified and approved by the state legislature. The males who were in office as political figures also made a name for themselves, like Eugene Talmadge, who had been in office for 20 years and believed himself to be invincible. He was constantly disrupting the flow of change and abusing the use of his position to oust people in office whom he did not agree with like the state treasure and comptroller general. With antics such as the ones from Talmadge, the political system in the state continued to be corrupted and further set back the integration of blacks and whites in schools. By 1958, the first black students were ordered by the court to receive immediate acceptance into the University of Georgia. World War II was also raging on during this time, and the state had begun to change even more. With major factories and industrial buildings moving into Georgia, the work force was back in action, and creating plenty of jobs for both whites and blacks. The pay for

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