April 26

When Georgia had its first showdown with the federal government in the 1820s, Washington blinked. George Michael Troup had faced down the president.

Originally from Alabama, Troup served in the Georgia Legislature, and the U.S. House and Senate, before his election as Georgia governor in 1823. In 1825, determined to drive the Creek Indians from Georgia, he negotiated the Treaty of Indian Springs with Creek leader William McIntosh. It authorized the sale of nearly all remaining Creek lands in Georgia. President John Quincy Adams voided the treaty and negotiated a federal agreement with the Creeks instead that gave them more land. Troup refused to recognize the federal treaty and began forcibly removing the Creeks with state militia. President Adams threatened to send in the U.S. Army; Troup replied, “We will stand by our arms.”

Adams backed down, and most of the Creeks were removed, setting the stage for larger confrontations to come.

The man known as Georgia’s most fiery governor died on April 26, 1856, Today in Georgia History.