The

Atebellum
period
Social Studies

Lily Harris

12/4/2014

Many things happened in the antebellum period. The antebellum period brought great
success to Georgia. Cotton became the, king and came to Georgia. There were many different
types of jobs that people had and some people are different and poor. The education system was
developed. There was religion in Georgia. Then the state stepped up and dealt more with
criminals and the needy people.
Cotton became an important crop in Georgia in the 1700s. There was many different
types of cotton. For example, Sea island cotton, and short-fiber cotton. The Sea Island cotton is
named, the sea island cotton because it only grows on Sea Islands on the coast. This type of
cotton has long fibers and could be woven into soft, high-quality cloth. The short-fiber cotton
was a strong plant that was grown inland. It took a while to take the seed out by hand, however it
produced more cotton per acre than the sea island. Later the cotton gin developed in 1793. This
sped up the cotton making process by far. This made cotton become the king crop in Georgia.
Georgias fall line drew in many cotton planter for reasons of, the climate was perfect for
growing, and the soil was well-drained, and there was 45 inches of rainfall each year. Those
arent the only reasons thou. There was a fast river that was able to power cotton gins, mills, and
factories. Later in the 1820s the improvement of steamboats arrived. This made a more efficient
way to transport cotton throughout Georgia. Then another option came for planters when railroad
construction increased in the 1840s. After the railroad, people didnt use the rivers much because
railroads could get them into north of Georgias fall line. The production of cotton grew more
and more. It took a lot of work to make the cotton which slaves started doing.
There was a society based on how wealthy people are depending on what they do for a
living. They owned 20 or more field slaves. Planters were considered upper social class. They
were up there along with merchants, bankers, and lawyers. Surprisingly planters were short on

cash even though they were wealthy. Their wealth was more in slaves and land then stocks and
bank accounts. Planters and their families enjoyed their life. They had many activities and church
meetings which kept them busy. Their children would attend private schools because the parents
wanted them to grow up to be educated like them.
Many Georgian were middle-class farmers which can be called yeoman farmers. These
farmers gained a lot of self-respect and a humble perspective for life. Although they had that,
sometimes they would want more slaves and land then they had to make a better living. The
cotton they produced could be sold for cold, hard cash. This money was paid for food items that
they couldnt be sold. Such as coffee and sugar. For the most part Yeoman farmers live off of the
food they grow. For instance, corn, wheat, oats, sweet potatoes, peas, and beans. However,
chickens, pigs and cows provided, milk, meat, and eggs. They had dogtrot cabins to live in. They
called it a dogtrot because the dogs loved the space. A dogtrot consisted of two connected oneroom log structures. Another style of an abode was a frame cottage built only a couple feet off
the ground. These farmers had homemade furniture because they couldnt afford store bought.
This also went for mattresses, quilts, clothes, and soap. This was an economy that required hard
work. However farmers took time to do other activities such as, fishing, hunting, shooting, and
barbecues.
There were also poor whites, who were at the bottom of the society. In these families the
men and women would both do things to provide a living for their family. The women would
grow cotton to sell for cash and the men would fish and hunt and sell what they killed. These
people were very low in the society chain compared to the rest of the society.
However, there was an even lower class of people which were the black Georgians. Many
of these people were enslaved by higher classes. Life for the slaves that worked in the cotton

field was hard. They worked from the time the sun came up to the time that the sun went down.
Some slaves were treated with awful discipline and some were treated like family. Most slaves
were treated in between those two measures. Slaves had no political liberty according to the
Georgia law. Since slaves were considered property, there were many things they couldnt do.
For instance, marriage although there were unauthorized marriages. These people are truly the
lowest of the low.
Education was not the main priority of the state, Georgia. The state didnt have enough
money to make public schools in the whole state. Although some people would create their own
schools but the children only learned basic education, mostly due to not capable teachers. This
goes for the poor people, where the wealthy people could afford to send their children to private
academies.
In 1785, the nations first state university that was created in Georgia was called the
University of Georgia. Later people were graduating in Athens. Women were not allowed to
enroll in this college until 1918. The Medical College of Georgia was made in 1828. This was
located in Augusta. In this school, doctors just started learning about disease and infections. Such
things as, pregnancy, the flu, malaria, and cholera were life threating.
Religions supported and created colleges in Georgia. For instance, Emory was supported
by Methodist, Presbyterian created Oglethorpe College, and the Baptist created Mercer
University. One of the beginning colleges to support womens education was called, Georgia
Female College. Women were soon able to earn degrees there, just like men in other colleges.
Many people in Georgia were religious but not all of them. Protestant denominations
concluded of Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Moravian, and Baptist. There were also many

Jews in Georgia as well as Catholics. In the 1800s a Protestant religious movement called the
Great Revival cleared the south. Thousands of Georgians, no matter the race, were involved and
renewed through many revivals and camp meetings. Due to this, many churches were wellknown. Many churches preached about equality and slavery just became defended more. There
were separate black churches that were mainly Baptist. The African Methodist Episcopal and the
African Methodist Episcopal Zion values also wanted abolishment of slavery.
During this time, Georgia wanted to make more peace in its state. They distributed with
the needy and the criminals. The state abolished cruel punishments for crime. White men
wouldnt be whipped for thievery. Within the next year, prisoners were supplied with heat,
medical attention, and clothing. Not only did they take care of their criminals but they also took
care of the needy. A hospital was created for the insane in 1824 at Milledgeville. Normally,
people who are mentally ill or retarded, were thrown in jail with the criminals and Georgia
wanted to fix that. Later, not only was a school for deaf people released, but a dependably for the
blind developed. Now, Georgia was not only endorsed in economics and transportation, but it
was also encouraged in the well-being of its people.
All of this happened during one time called the antebellum period. This period was a big
step in Georgias history.

MLA Format
Stakes, Mary E., and Edwin L. Jackson. The Georgia Studies Book: Our State and the Nation.
Athens: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, U of Georgia, 1999. Print.

Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.