During its recent history, Georgia was the subject of conflict between English settlers and Spanish settlers on the Atlantic coast. By 1704, English and Indian forces had succeeded in destroying the Spanish mission system that had been established. In 1715 and 1716, the English drove away their former Indian allies from the region in the Yamassee War. In 1732, the Province of Georgia, named after King George II, was established by James Oglethorpe. A year later, the first 113 settlers arrived in the area that would become Savannah. In 1752, Georgia became a royal colony. It was the last of the original thirteen colonies.

During the American Revolution, most of Georgia was easily taken by British forces as many of the colony's citizens remained loyal to the crown. Nevertheless, on January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Georgia soon became a popular destination for New Englanders looking to make a fortune. In 1794, the Massachusetts-born, Savannah resident Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which enabled the dramatic increase of cotton production. Cotton immediately became Georgia's cash crop, replacing rice and indigo, and the state's slave population quickly swelled as a result. After gold was discovered in the mountains of north Georgia, settlers pressured Congress to remove the Indians in the region. In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which eventually forced Georgia's Cherokee Indians to walk "The Trail of Tears" in 1838 to designated reservations in Oklahoma. Thousands of Cherokees died during 1,000 plus mile forced migration.

Because of the growing conflict over slavery, and the election of Republican president Abraham Lincoln, Georgia seceded from the Union on January 18, 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America. During the Civil War, several major battles occurred in Georgia including The Battles of Chickamauga and Kennesaw Mountain. In 1864, Union forces under William Tecumseh Sherman marched through Georgia and destroyed virtually everything from Atlanta all the way to Savannah (though Savannah was spared), in what came be known as Sherman's March to the Sea. The destructive romp inspired the legendary novel Gone with the Wind.
In 1868, the capital city of Milledgeville was replaced by the inland rail terminal Atlanta. On July 15, 1870, Georgia became the last of the former Confederate states to be re-admitted to the Union.

During the Gilded Age, the period of time after Reconstruction, Georgia's population ballooned as it became a center of the cotton, textiles, and logging industries. In 1886, John Sith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in Atlanta and the Coca-Cola Company was soon organized in 1892. In 1946, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was founded in Atlanta.

Although slavery was abolished in Georgia in 1865, Civil Rights for African-Americans were virtually nonexistent for the next hundred years in Georgia. Georgia was a regional center of hate groups such as the Ku-Klux Klan and was full of mayors and police officials who opposed Civil Rights for African-Americans in any capacity. Atlanta born reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the fight for Civil Rights in Georgia and throughout the American south. In 1957, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed in Atlanta in the hopes of promoting Civil Rights for all. Finally, in 1964, The Civil Rights Act was passed, giving African-Americans the same rights as Whites.

Today, Georgia is the center of the new South. Its cities are among the fastest growing in the United States. Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport has recently become one of the world's three busiest airports. In 1996, Georgia showcased the new American South during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta.