Georgia Stories Video

The Judicial Branch of Georgia state government handles matters of the law. Most legal matters in the state of Georgia are reviewed by a judge or a jury, who are both a central part of the court system. The Judicial Branch of Georgia consists of several different types of courts. There are two appellate level courts: the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeals. There are five trial level courts: superior, state, juvenile, probate, and magistrate.

Perhaps the fatal mistake made by William McIntosh, born in 1778 to a Scottish father and a Creek Indian mother, was to try to satisfy the demands of both cultures.

The executive branch is the largest of Georgia’s three branches of state government. The Georgia constitution names eight officers that are elected by all Georgia voters to serve in the executive branch. They lead agencies responsible for enforcing state laws and carrying out programs like education, elections, and law enforcement

If you are driving along a Georgia highway, don’t be surprised if you see an ostrich, emu, or rhea. These exotic birds are being raised on farms for sale to restaurants as food. Today, there are about 11,000 farms in Georgia raising these birds. In this episode, Fowler Farms (Albany) owners Suzanne Shingler and Wayne Fowler discuss the economic feasibility of raising ratites. In one sequence, we see how eggs are hatched. Yvonne Jones, of Agricultural Services and Investment discusses ratite products. At Carr’s Steak House, diners tell us how the birds taste

The Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, a major part of the air transport industry, provides companies with easy access to the world. Each day 2,200 flights arrive in and depart from the airport, going to and coming from 180 destination points. Hartsfield Atlanta is a hub airport; the vast majority of people passing through the airport are just changing planes. Hartsfield impacts Georgia’s economy tremendously, pumping $7.8 billion into Atlanta and $15 billion into the state every year, making it the single largest employer in the state

Elberton, Georgia, known as the “Granite Capital of the World,” sits on a fault of granite 35 miles long, 6 miles wide, and 2 to 3 miles deep. The first granite was quarried here in 1889. It was used to build bridges and broken into gravel for railroad tracks. The industry flourished by the turn of the century. Today, 250 companies employ 2,200 people, with an annual payroll of $46 million. Viewers follow the process by which the granite is quarried, sized, and polished before it goes to the stone cutter and then learn how computers are used to assist in the graphic designs for granite monuments and tombstones

Coca-Cola’s legacy began in 1886 when a druggist named John “Doc” Pemberton sold the syrup that he used in his drugstore fountain drinks. Asa Candler purchased the formula after Pemberton’s death, and devoted $50,000 a year to advertising. Coca-Cola was constantly embroiled in legal battles to keep copycat products off the market, a fight eventually won through the patenting of a uniquely-shaped bottle. Coca-Cola and its advertising have both become a part of American culture. Phil Mooney and Coca-Cola archivist Rick Allen (author of Secret Formula, a history of Coke) comment

Forty years ago, a person without a high school diploma still stood a pretty good chance of supporting himself at a job providing an adequate living. For the 30,000 Georgians who now drop out of school every year, the situation has changed; computer, language, and communication skills taught in high school have become essential for a decent-paying job. Many people are trying to rectify the mistake of dropping out of high school by studying for and taking the GED exam, to get the equivalency of a high school diploma. For those needing the required discipline, the Youth Challenge Program has been established, with a 21-week program during which participants attend a military-style camp while studying.

Bob’s Candies, an Albany company founded by Bob McCormack in 1919, is the largest manufacturer of striped candy in the world. McCormack was the first manufacturer to wrap his candies in cellophane. Work was done by hand, and was consequently very slow, but that changed when Gregory Keller (great uncle to current president Gregory McCormack) invented two machines to mechanize the candy production. The inventions revolutionized the business and made Bobs Candies the first machine-manufactured candy. The McCormacks discuss the candy business today

The Civil Rights movement was about political and social equality, but it was also about economic opportunity long denied. This episode tells the stories of three African-Americans: farmer and sharecropper descendent Felder Daniels, NAACP member and Tybee Beach resident Tena Butler, and a 1960’s custodial employee named Lillie Rossner. Doug Bachtel, University of Georgia, comments

The first television station in the South, WSB, began broadcasting in 1948. By the early 1960’s most families had a television set. Television quickly became the number one leisure activity for children. It brought news to the masses with unprecedented immediacy. This contributed to some big changes in society. Congressman John Lewis believes that, “Without television, the Civil Rights movement would have been like a bird without wings.” In the late 1960’s, people saw the Vietnam War every day. Many people feel that this closeness to the war was a prime factor behind much of its unpopularity. Commentators include historians and people alive during the “Golden Age of Television.

For twenty years following the close of World War II, America experienced a “Baby Boom.” Long separations during the war, plus a high number of American casualties, spurred the desire to start families. Women were encouraged to stop working and choose children over careers. By the 1980’s, the birthrate declined to about half of what it was in the peak years of the Baby Boom. Historians and people alive during that era comment

After the Civil War, many men headed west in search of work. Many carried a hoe with them. These “hoe boys” eventually became known as “hobos.” Hobos were not “bums” or “tramps”; they were men seeking work wherever they could find it. They lived out of doors in camps known as “jungles.” The dangers of travel by hopping trains crippled many. The outbreak of World War II brought enrollment in the armed forces to some hoboes and regular employment to others. Today the hobo’s life on the road has entered the realm of national myth. Horace Hampton, a former Depression-era hobo, recounts his experiences of life on the road. W. P. Scott, retired University of Georgia professor also comments

On March 15, 1922, Atlanta’s WSB (for “Welcome South, Brother”) became the first radio station to broadcast in the South. At that time, almost anyone who could do anything could get on the air. Radio became a source of comfort (Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s reassuring Fireside Chats), alarm (Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds broadcast) and escapism (adventure shows like The Lone Ranger and The Shadow). This story features students at Sandy Creek High School and commentary by Marcus Bartlett, a retired executive vice president for Cox Communications; Elmo Ellis, retired vice president of WSB; and Allan Macleod of the College of Journalism at the University of Georgia

Martha Berry founded Possum Trot, a log cabin school for rural children, at Oak Hill, on her Rome, Georgia family’s plantation. In addition to receiving academic and religious instruction, her students were trained in manual skills -- students literally helped build the Berry School. Berry was a tireless fund-raiser; Henry Ford became the school’s biggest benefactor. Today, 95% of Berry College’s students do some sort of volunteer work for the school. This segment includes scenes from a 1950’s newsreel recounting the life of Martha Berry. Local historians and former students comment