Cotton In Georgia

Along with the demand for cotton came a demand for labor. Black slaves from Africa were used to hand pick cotton in cotton fields, a tedious and daunting job. After Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin, cotton production skyrocketed from the average 3,000 bails per year to 300,000 bails per year. Unlike the north, the south lacked transportation improvements such as railways, roads, and water canals.

The North’s economy was based on textiles, shipping, and skilled trades. Their climate was not suited for the same type of agricultural products that the South produced like cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco. Northern states like New England manufactured and shipped goods like guns, clocks, plows and axes (page 399). One reason for the South’s dependence on slavery is because their economy relied on the existence of slave labor. For example, the cultivation of cotton depended largely on slave labor, with 75% of the crop grown on plantations,

Next, he adds, “The Georgia low country had such a long and deep agricultural history…” (Stewart xvii). In school, teachers do not go into much detail regarding the agricultural history of coastal Georgia. It is often overlooked, even though it is one of the main reasons that Georgia was settled and a large part of Georgia’s history.

Since the Civil War brought extensive economic change to the United States, civilians in the North and South faced many economic challenges. "In the North the arms, metalworkings, boot making, and shipbuilding industries boomed, but the scarcity of cotton caused widespread layoffs and closures in the textile industry" (Keene, 391). Even though workers' salaries rose by forty percent, prices increased even faster, resulting in inflation that averaged fifteen percent. Despite the North's economic hardships, the problems the South faced were far worse. "The Southern economy was hit hard by the cessation of trade with the North and Europe due to the Union blockade" (Keene, 391). Southern industry and agriculture were limited by persistent

One of the most important events that had occurred in the state of Georgia that would forever shape its history begun shortly after the American Revolution. When the cotton gin was invented, Georgia’s economy had transformed into a cotton and tobacco based plantation economy. In order to keep with the demands of the economy and citizens, Georgia had adopted the Headright System. The Headright System granted every head of household large acreages of land, which would quickly replace the small farms in Georgia. Then in 1783, the Treaty of Paris had formally ended the American Revolution. Although the war had ended, the nation was still troubled with various issues. The state of Georgia would see shortly after the Revolutionary War that although the Treaty of Paris had given the Floridian territory back to Spain, they were to be left to settle an international dispute once Spain asserted their ownership of land east of the Mississippi and north of the Yazoo River. Georgian’s who were eager to purchase the large amounts of land found west of the Mississippi to either begin plantations or to sell lands to planters. This would soon cause the climax of much trouble in Georgia when state legislators and land companies would work together to essentially set the prices to sell the land in what would be known as the “Yazoo Sale” scandal, which would indirectly result in the Trail of Tears. The most important themes and trends in Georgia’s history from the end of the American

The crops grown on plantations and the slavery system changed significantly between 1800-1860. In the early 1800s, plantation owners grew a variety of crops – cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco, hemp, and wheat. Cotton had the potential to be profitable, but there was wasn’t much area where cotton could be grown. However, the invention of the cotton gin changed this - the cotton gin was a machine that made it much easier to separate the seeds from cotton. Plantation owners could now grow lots of cotton; this would make them a lot of money. As a result, slavery became more important because the demand for cotton was high worldwide. By 1860, cotton was the main export of the south. The invention of the cotton gin and high demand for cotton changed

For example, farming was the main source of income for the Confederate states. The main southern chief crop which came to be known as King Cotton, accounted for 57% of all U.S. exports (“Civil War”). However, in order to produce these large amounts of cotton, the southern Confederate states depended heavily on slave labor. Since cotton production began to dominate and fuel the southern economy, the South felt that they did not need to industrialize like their northern neighbors did. This caused the South to manufacture very little goods and caused them to purchase manufactured goods from the industrialized North or to purchase imported goods from overseas.

Before 1793 production of cotton was not very profitable due to the fact that it took an entire day to hand clean a single pound of cotton. However, with the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, over 50 pounds of cotton could be cleaned a day, tuning cotton into one of the staples of the southern economy, and thus shaping social and political history in the south.

Due to this, the economy of America at this period of time was centred around cotton and as Clement Eaton stated, 'After the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, the tempo of life in the South quickened.' The industry was able to achieve large profits through the use of slaves-the cheapest labour of all-and eventually 'Three-fourths of the world's supply of cotton came from the southern states.'

With the economic system, the south had a very hard time producing their main source “cotton and tobacco”. “Cotton became commercially significant in the 1790’s after the invention of a new cotton gin by Eli Whitney. (PG 314)” Let

Georgia Agriculture Hi,im Abel and today I will be talking to you about Georgia Agriculture. Georgia agriculture is a big part of farming. In 1735 Georgia was the first colony to cultivate grapes. Also in 1735 the first agriculture experiment and station was it established in Savannah and the first silk from the colonies was sent to Savannah and made into a dress for the Queen of England.

     After the invention of the cotton gin, the production of unprocessed cotton doubled each decade after 1800. Other inventions of the Industrial Revolution were the machines to spin and weave cotton and the steamboat to transport it. America was growing three quarters of the world's supply of cotton in the mid-century. Most of it was shipped to England or New England where it was made into cloth. During this time, tobacco’s value decreased, rice exports stayed at the same price, and sugar began to flourish, but only

With Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became very profitable. This machine was able to reduce the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton. However, at the same time the increase in the number of plantations willing to move from other crops to cotton meant the greater need for a large amount of cheap labor, i.e. slaves. Thus, the southern economy became a one crop economy, depending on cotton and therefore on slavery. On the other hand, the northern economy was based more on industry than agriculture. In fact, the northern industries were purchasing the raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. This disparity between the two set up a

The state of Georgia earned the nickname "The Empire State of the South" in the antebellum period largely because of its textile industry. From 1840 until 1890 the state consistently led the South in textile production,

The importance of Georgia’s specialty crops have unending, positive factors. These extraordinary crops have developed our economy and reputation. Half of Georgia's history deals with crops and farming them to make a living for a family. Georgia wouldn't be the same without the factors that it first started out with.