Georgia Expands West

The Pursuit of Land Land meant wealth and power to Americans. Settlers moved westward into lands claimed by Creeks and Cherokee. Indian lands were acquired through negotiated treaties.

A Change in Agriculture- 1800s Most land was distributed among wealthy white men. Plantations replaced smaller farms in the soil rich Piedmont region. Tobacco and cotton became the major crops.

Pursuit of Land Many believed that all citizens should have the right to own land… But how should it be divided??? Georgia pursued several land policies to try to answer this question..

Headright system-1782 head of a household had a right to land. White men over acres = head of a household. 50 acres = each family member and slaves. Maximum of 1,000 acres. Revolutionary War vets were given land and encouraged to settle in Georgia. Austin Dabney

Headright into a mess.. Headright System ended when there were too many claimants to land and not enough land.

LH Assignment pg. 66 Headright Math Questions 1.You are the head of a household with a spouse, four children, and three slaves. How many acres of land are you entitled to? 2.You are the head of a household with a spouse, your elderly mother and eight children. How many acres of land are you entitled to? 3.You are the head of a household with a spouse, four children and 15 slaves. How many acres of land are you entitled to?

LH pg. 66-yes two on one page Create a circle map describing the headright system. Use your notes and include at least 6 items that describe the headright system. Be sure your map is neat and colorful.

The Yazoo Land Fraud Georgia wanted to settle its western lands to encourage economic growth. near the Yazoo River in what is now Mississippi. near the Yazoo River in what is now Mississippi. Legislators were bribed by land companies to sell the land below its real value. Nearly 35 million acres were “sold” to 4 private land companies at 2 cents/ acre The land was then sold to civilians for huge profits. When the bribes were discovered the legislators were voted out of office.

Land Sold in the Yazoo Land Fraud

The Compact of 1802 The new legislature repealed the law that had allowed the land to be sold. Georgia ceded the land to the U.S. government for 1.2 million dollars. This created Georgia’s Western border became the Chattahoochee River. The U.S. also agreed to remove all Indians from Georgia when needed. The Yazoo Land Fraud indirectly led to the Trail of Tears.

Land Lottery A series of lotteries took place to sell land. Ordinary Georgians could now buy larger amounts of land for pennies on the dollar. A lottery was only open to white men, orphans, and widows. Land was sold on an average at 7 cents / acre.

LH Pg. 68: Georgia’s Land Policies Use three index cards. Label the index cards as follows. Headright System 1782 Yazoo Land Fraud 1795 Land Lottery the front of the index card should be labeled and contain a colored picture. Under each card place the information about that land policy. Include results, why they ended.. Use your own words. (do not rewrite your notes).

The Cotton Gin Eli Whitney was working at the Mulberry Grove Plantation near Savannah. He watched slaves separate seeds from the cotton by hand. He invented the cotton gin, a machine that could clean cotton quickly.

Impact of the Cotton Gin Two Negatives: Cotton became the largest crop grown in the South. Made the south dependent on one crop. In the 1900’s the Boll Weevil demolished most of the South’s agriculture. The Cotton Gin directly increased the number of slaves in Georgia This will lead to Georgia’s support and defense of Slavery during the Civil War This will lead to Georgia’s support and defense of Slavery during the Civil War

Cotton Gin Photo

Rise of Slavery in Georgia In 1790 there were 30,000 slaves working on coastal rice plantations. The land lottery opened large areas of the Piedmont for agriculture. By 1860 there were nearly 500,000 slaves working Georgia’s fields.

Brainstorm How did the Land Lottery and the invention of the cotton Gin both lead to the increase of the number of slaves in Georgia

Table Graph: Cotton and Slaves In what year was the cotton production lowest? In what year was the cotton production highest? In what year was the slave population lowest? In what year was the slave population highest? What connection can you make between Cotton Production and Slave Population? Is this a Direct or Indirect Relationship?

Railroads lead to expansion Early 1800s the first railroads were built. Railroads replaced travel by… Horses Boats Stagecoaches

Railway in Georgia Many Georgia towns were created due to Railroads Atlanta Georgia’s first railroad chartered in Created to transport cotton to Augusta railroads spread across a lot of the state. Ga Ranked top 10 for mileage Most miles in the Deep South

Impact of the Railroad Cotton was more easily transported. This helped Georgia’s Economy Cities were created around Railroad Hubs The center where all railroads met Atlanta was created Originally Terminus, then Marthasville

Atlanta is born Atlanta was created as a Railroad Hub “Terminus” = End of Line Connected to Chattanooga Terminus became Marthasville in 1843 then Atlanta in 1845 Atlanta became the first major AMERICAN city to be built without a navigable river…

Left side Assignment page 72 How did the invention of the cotton gin and the use of railroads in Georgia impact its growth in the early 1800s? Create 2 single sided flow maps... Impact of Railroads in Georgia Impact of Cotton Gin In Georgia