January 1, 1751

1751 Although some Georgia colonists had been violating the 1735 law prohibiting slavery since the mid-1740s, the Trustees finally repealed that law in 1750. That repeal became effective Jan. 1, 1751, which marks the official date that slavery became legal in Georgia.

January 1, 1856

1856 Lawyer and well-known Georgia politician John Macpherson Berrien died in Savannah. He was born on Aug. 23, 1781 in Princeton, New Jersey. Two years later, his parents moved to Savannah, where at age 18 he began the practice of law. In 1822, Berrien served a term in the Georgia Senate, and in 1824 the General Assembly elected him to serve in the U.S. Senate. In 1829, Berrien resigned to serve as Pres. Andrew Jackson’s attorney general. In 1831, he returned to practice law in Savannah, where he helped form the Georgia State Rights party. In 1840, Berrien was reelected to the Georgia Senate, where he served for the next 12 years. Afterwards, he practiced law in Savannah until his death on Jan. 1 1856. The next month, the General Assembly created a new county and named it in his honor.

January 1, 1863

1863 Abraham Lincoln issued the final version of the Emancipation Proclamation . In Sept. 1862, he had issued a preliminary version announcing that on Jan. 1, 1863, he would issue a declaration as to which states were in rebellion against the United States. At that time, slaves in those states -- and only those states -- would be freed. In Lincoln’s Jan. 1 proclamation, he announced that all eleven southern states that had joined the Confederacy were in rebellion -- though designated areas of Louisiana and Virginia were exempted from emancipation.

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January 1, 1897

1897 Atlanta University and Tuskegee Institute played the first black collegiate football game. The game, played in Atlanta, was won by Atlanta University.

January 1, 1932

1932 Campbell and Milton counties officially merged with Fulton County, thus reducing the number of Georgia counties from 161 to 159. Later, the Constitution of 1945 would mandate a maximum limit of 159 counties, though allowing the General Assembly to provide for consolidation of two or more counties subject to approval by voters of the affected counties.