[Yazoo Claims]:

$1,500 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

SUNDRY PAPERS, IN RELATION TO CLAIMS, COMMONLY CALLED THE YAZOO CLAIMS. DECEMBER 18, 1809. PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. A compendium of "the most important documents relating to the Yazoo Claims" (Eberstadt). In the late 18th century, land companies were formed for the purpose of buying vast tracts of land in the western portion of Georgia, named the "Yazoo lands" after the river that flowed through the region. These companies planned to resell the land at tremendous profits. In January 1795 the Yazoo Act, which transferred thirty-five million acres in present-day Mississippi and Alabama to four companies for $500,000, was signed by Georgia governor George Mathews. Despite charges of corruption and popular opposition, the Yazoo companies were able to purchase the lands. In response to continued opposition in Georgia to the act, a Rescinding Act was passed in 1796 and in 1798 a revision of the state constitution was enacted. Finally, in 1802, the land and the claims were transferred to the U.S. government in exchange for $1.25 million paid to the state of Georgia. The original claimants continued to press their case over the next decade: in 1810 the Marshall Court declared the Rescinding Act unconstitutional, and in 1814 five million dollars were allocated to repay the original purchasers of the land.Sundry Papers is a collection of the most notable documents relating to the Yazoo Claims. "Includes the Constitution of the State of Georgia (1796) and the re

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