The Georgia-South Carolina Boundary: A Problem in Historical Geography - Hardcover

De Vorsey, Louis

9780820305912: The Georgia-South Carolina Boundary: A Problem in Historical Geography

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 082030591X ISBN 13: 9780820305912

Publisher: Univ of Georgia Pr, 1982

Since 1732, when Georgia was created out of South Carolina territory, the boundary between the two states has been disputed. This controversy reignited in the 1970s, culminating in a suit filed by Georgia in the U. S. Supreme Court to ascertain the location of the true boundary line between the states.

De Vorsey's book grows out of this controversy and is a detailed examination of the historical geography of that boundary. After reviewing the events that led to the 1977 litigation, De Vorsey provides a detailed analysis of Georgia's original charter and the 1787 Treaty of Beaufort--two documents crucial to an understanding of the dispute. Using documentary and cartographic resources, he reconstructs the geographical conditions that existed at the time the documents were drafted and investigates how eighteenth-century Georgians and South Carolinians perceived these conditions.

In the course of his inquiry he discusses the tremendous natural forces that have sculpted and re-sculpted the unstable shorelines and islands formed by geologically youthful delta sediments. He considers, too, the impact of man on the environment as he attempted to control nature and improve navigability on the Savannah River.

The study concludes with a discussion of the particular areas of the Savannah River's shores and islands involved in the Supreme Court litigation.

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About the Author:

Louis De Vorsey is an emeritus professor of geography at the University of Georgia and a specialist in historical and forensic geography. His other books include "The Indian Boundary in the Southern Colonies, 1763-1775," "De Brahm's Report of the General Survey in the Southern District of North America," and "The Southeast in Early Maps."

Review:

This book is excellent. The study shows the type, quality, and thoroughness of research that must be done for litigation over boundaries, and demonstrates that geographers are eminently qualified to undertake the rigorous research.

(Geographical Review)

Louis De Vorsey has written a detailed and stylishly-presented book. This book is particularly valuable in drawing attention to the detail and variety of information contained in the Congressional records, in the reports of the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Coast Survey. The reader is left with a clear picture of old problems and new urgency.

(Geographical Journal)

De Vorsey has written a remarkably interesting monograph. The author has made an impressive use of maps, correspondence, treaties, newspapers and reports. Relating the occasional disputes of 250 years the author has shown that historical geography is both interesting and useful.

(Journal of Southern History)

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