1. Antebellum GA
Antebellum: The culture and lifestyle which developed in the South before the Civil War (1)

2. Georgia’s Prospers during Antebellum Era
Two main reasons:
Growth of cotton – largest cash crop in south (2.1)
Use of slave labor (2.2)

3. Other Reason for Prosperity
Railroads
Industries
GA’s government had encouraged RR building throughout the state.
As a result, Georgia had one of the best systems in the Deep South. (2.3)
Textile mills
Lumber yards
Leather goods factories
Metal works
Stone quarries. (2.4)

4. Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin
The cotton gin made it possible to grow and process cotton far into the State’s interior. (1)
This increased the area in which cotton could be grown and process in GA.
Piedmont and Coastal Plain (2) have the most favorable conditions for growing cotton.
Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin

5. The Fall Line Attracts Planters
The geography of Georgia’s Fall Line region attract cotton planters favorable conditions for industry.
As rivers flowed southward through this zone, the water picked up speed.
The moving water could then be used to power cotton gins, textile mills and factories. Industry flourished. (3)

6. Transporting the Cotton
Steamboats – 1820's
Railroads – 1840’s
Provided a better way to transport large quantities of cotton to the ocean port at Savannah. (4)
Railroad construction gave planters another option .
They did not have to depend on river transportation. (5)

7. Rail lines affect Georgia’s Piedmont Region
Using the rail lines, farmers could extend cotton growing into the Piedmont Region (6)

8. Summarize
Explain how the development of the railroad affected economics in Antebellum GA.