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The Cotton Gin and Railroads New Technology in Georgia. Standard. SS8H5 The student will explain significan t factors that affected the development of Georgia as part of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840. . Element.
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Standard SS8H5 The student will explain significant factors that affected the development of Georgia as part of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840. Element c. Explain how technological developments, including the cotton gin and railroads, had an impact on Georgia’s growth.
Essential Question How did the invention of the Cotton Gin impact Georgia’s economy and population? How did the growth of railroads influence Georgia’s growth?
Today’s Agenda Open: ~ BrainPop Video Work ~ Interactive PowerPoint Session: ~ Video Logs ~ Read-Aloud and Discussion Close: ~ “Let’s Pick Some Cotton”
Railroad History Video Log Record at least 2 facts to share with the class. BrainPop: Railroads
Cotton Before the Cotton Gin • Tobacco production was destroying soil • Farmers turned to growing cotton • Cotton had to be “deseeded” by hand • Most farmers could not “clean” more than one pound of cotton a day • Slaves and poor whites did the work
Eli Whitney • He was a teacher and inventor • A friend of his who lived near Savannah asked him to create a machine to speed up the “deseeding” process • His machine had wire teeth on a turning cylinder • At first the machine was difficult to use but preformed better over time
Cotton After the Cotton Gin Cotton “deseeding” rates: ~ By hand = 1 pound a day ~ Cotton Gin = 50 pounds a day • Farmers welcomed the machine • Slaves picked the cotton but the machine “deseeded” it by turning its handle • Farmers expanded West to grow even more cotton and took slavery with them • By the end of the 19th century, the South grew a large majority of the world’s cotton
Does technology make our lives easier or harder? EASIER Did the Cotton Gin make life easier or harder for slaves in the South? HARDER Let’s find out why
Negative Results of the Cotton Gin South became dependent on one crop • During the early 1900s the Boll Weevil destroyed most of the South’s cotton forcing different crops to be grown Slavery increased • Less slaves were needed to “deseed” cotton • More slaves could be growing and “picking” cotton in the fields • Plantations produced more cotton and made more money • This money purchased more land and slaves to plant and harvest cotton Cotton Had Become King of the South (aka King Cotton)
Railroads • Most towns had sprung up along rivers • Now people and products could travel by rail. Towns began to spring up along the tracks. • 1832: first railroad in Georgia was created to avoid muddy roads while shipping cotton • 1850s: Georgia ranked in the top ten in the nation for mileage of train rail • Georgia had the most miles of track in the Deep South
Atlanta • Was created as a railroad hub for the Western and Atlantic Railroad • Ran from Chattanooga, Tennessee to this small hub called “Terminus” (end of the line) • Two other lines joined and the city grew even more • 1843: Terminus changed to Marthasville • 1845: Marthasville renamed Atlanta • Atlanta was the first major city to be built on a location without a navigable river
Read-Aloud Textbook Page 179-181
“Let’s Pick Some Cotton” Please be easy with the cotton. Take note of how many seeds you find and how the barbs hurt to touch. Pass to a neighbor quietly.
King Cotton and the Cotton Gin Video Log Record at least 2 facts to share with the class. Video: Georgia Stories
