What was the Yazoo fraud?

The Yazoo fraud refers specifically to a scandal in the early 19th century involving Georgia legislators who were implicated in selling vast tracts of land—approximately 40 million acres—for a very low price, under conditions involving bribery and corruption. This occurred in 1795 when the Georgia legislature passed a law that sold the land to several land companies at prices far lower than the land’s actual value. The maneuver was designed to benefit the legislators and their associates at the expense of the public and was met with considerable backlash from the citizens of Georgia.

The fallout from this scandal led to widespread outrage and prompted legal challenges, which ultimately resulted in the nullification of the land sales by the newly formed state government. This incident highlights significant issues of corruption in governance and has had lasting implications for land ownership and policies in the state. It is key in understanding the early political landscape of Georgia and highlights the challenges faced in dealing with land acquisition and rights in the context of increasing settlement and expansion in the region.