As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Georgia Archives is highlighting records from our collections that document this history. This page showcases original documents from our collections that were created before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. From royal orders and Revolutionary fort plans to constitutional debates and treaty negotiations, these records chart how Georgia moved from colony to state. Each featured item connects to our digital resources in the Virtual Vault, book catalog, or finding aids to support further research and discovery. For a current list of exhibits, events, and other America 250 programs, please see our latest program guide.
In the decades leading up to the American Revolution, Georgia was governed as a royal colony shaped by external conflicts and shifting territorial claims. Following the French and Indian War, the British Crown issued the Proclamation of 1763, establishing boundaries for westward expansion and defining relations with Native nations. Throughout this period, royal proclamations issued by colonial governors addressed a wide range of issues, including elections, court systems, taxation, militias, land distribution, and trade. These records reflect the colony’s administrative structure and help document the evolution of the political landscape in the years before independence.
Proclamations issued by the governors of the Colony, and later the State, of Georgia (1754–1784)
This volume includes proclamations from both colonial and early state governments, including the first royal proclamation by Governor Sir James Wright and the first issued by Archibald Bulloch, President of the Assembly and Commander in Chief.
As conflicts intensified, Georgia became one of thirteen colonies to adopt the Declaration of Independence. The state’s official copy, printed by Mary Katherine Goddard and recorded in March 1777, is preserved in the Archives’ records. During this period, governance shifted through temporary constitutions and appointments, and military operations, including the evacuation of British forces and Loyalists from Savannah, left extensive documentary traces. These materials provide a record of administrative decisions, military coordination, and political restructuring in the midst of war.
Revolutionary Georgia was not just a story of assemblies and declarations. It was also a contested frontier shaped by forts, raids, and forced movement. A drawing and plan of the stockade at Beard’s Bluff on the Altamaha River shows how patriots fortified the state’s southern border in 1776 to defend against Loyalists and Creek attacks. Combined with a memorandum describing the 1782 evacuation of Loyalists and enslaved people from Savannah to East Florida and Jamaica, these records reveal the human cost of war along Georgia’s coast and interior frontier.
Georgia’s official copy of the Declaration of Independence (1777)
“In Congress, Jan. 1777 Ordered: That an authenticated copy of the Declaration of Independence with the names of the members of Congress subscribing the same, be sent to each of the United States and that they be desired to have the same put on record. By Order of Congress, John Hancock, President Recorded 2nd March 1777.”
Memorandum describing the evacuation of Georgia Loyalists from Savannah (1782)
As British troops left Savannah, this memorandum records the departure of Loyalist residents and enslaved peoples to East Florida or Jamaica.
Following the war, Georgia continued to expand its administrative and legal foundations. The state’s 1777 constitution laid out the framework for a new government, including provisions for a legislature and executive leadership. Land policies and treaty agreements, such as the Treaty of Augusta, were documented as Georgia claimed and distributed land in the postwar years. In 1787, delegates convened to consider the proposed U.S. Constitution and, on January 2, 1788, Georgia formally ratified it. Records from this period show the evolving structure of government, land negotiations, and Georgia’s role in shaping the national framework.
Austin Dabney was an enslaved man of color who fought with Elijah Clarke’s troops in the Georgia militia during the American Revolution. In the 1780s and early 1800s, the Georgia legislature returned to his case several times. Surviving acts and petitions document his emancipation, land grants, and later relief as a disabled veteran. Taken together, these records show how one Black soldier’s wartime service reshaped his legal status and material life in the early Republic, while also revealing the limits placed on free people of color in post-Revolutionary Georgia.
Treaty of Augusta (1783)
Documents relating to land cession from the Cherokee to Georgia following the war, including related correspondence and boundary plans.
Act Emancipating Austin Dabney (1786)
Legislative act that emancipated Dabney, described as a “mulatto man” who had fought bravely under Colonel Elijah Clarke, and authorized state payment to his former owner. This document explicitly links Dabney’s military service to his freedom and veteran’s benefits.
Journal of the Georgia Convention to Ratify the Federal Constitution (1787)
Records of the proceedings of Georgia’s convention to consider the proposed U.S. Constitution, held in December 1787.
Resolution ratifying the United States Constitution (1788)
Formal record of Georgia’s ratification of the United States Constitution, signed by 26 delegates on January 2, 1788.
These additional resources provide further context for Georgia’s Revolutionary era and its aftermath. They document the state’s early government, territorial negotiations, and systems of land distribution.
Additional images and links may include (but are not limited to): the collections mentioned above; Button Gwinnett’s appointment as President and Commander in Chief, 1777; Colonial and State officers’ appointments, 1754–1778; File II Collection, Indian Treaties (1778–1795).
This page complements the Georgia Social Studies Standards of Excellence for Grade 8 by providing access to original records that document Georgia’s role in the Revolutionary era. These materials can support classroom exploration of topics such as the causes of the American Revolution in Georgia, the state’s signers of the Declaration of Independence, the perspectives of Loyalists and Patriots, and the development of Georgia’s early constitutions. Educators may find it useful to pair documents with essential questions, brief sourcing prompts, or classroom activities that help students analyze the historical context of the materials.
Primary sources for these and other periods throughout Georgia’s history can be found on our Educational Resources page.
As part of America 250, the Georgia Archives will host a range of public programs in 2026 focused on Revolutionary-era history. These include:
Visit our Programs page for upcoming dates, speaker details, and registration links.
Our staff can help with navigating digital collections, understanding record formats, or locating additional resources. For assistance, please contact us via our Ask an Archivist webform or visit us in Morrow, GA.
