Teacher Resources
Georgia was the only colony the British successfully reconquered and held for years — a window into what defeat looked like, and what it took to come back from it.
The Context
The failed Franco-American siege of Savannah in 1779 was one of the war's costliest defeats, demonstrating that a French alliance was not a guarantee of victory. Augusta changed hands multiple times as Patriot and Loyalist forces fought for control of the backcountry.
Georgia's experience — reconquered, occupied, slowly liberated — offers students a window into what the Revolution looked like when the Patriots were losing. Teaching Georgia means teaching accountability for military failure, the role of French alliance in the war's outcome, and the fragility of the new nation's hold on its own territory.
Recommended Sequence
Savannah → Augusta
4–6 class periods
Georgia was reconquered and held by the British for four years. Savannah was the colonial capital under occupation; Augusta changed hands repeatedly as the backcountry war raged. Students trace Georgia's arc from conquest to liberation, examining what it took to rebuild civil society in the middle of a war.
Source Standards
Every source in our Georgia materials is evaluated using a three-tier credibility system. Tier 1 includes primary documents, National Park Service materials, and peer-reviewed scholarship. Teacher narratives contextualize sources — they don't replace them.