Life of the People in Antebellum Society

Chapter 11

Mr. Lamm

Notes

• The word antebellum refers to the period before the Civil War.

• The development of the railroad, the invention of the cotton gin, and the building of industries were reasons for Georgia’s antebellum economic prosperity.

• The two factors most responsible for Georgia’s growth were cotton and slavery.

Notes• Sea island cotton can be described as having long

fibers producing high-quality fiber.• The cotton gin removed the seeds from the cotton

fiber.• Short fiber cotton was grown in the Piedmont and

Coastal Plains.• Well drained top soil, 200 days’ growing season,

and a dry harvest season was needed to grow cotton.

Notes

• Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.

Notes

• Most of the planters’ money was tied up in slaves and land.

• Farming was the most common occupation in Georgia in 1860.

Notes• Trickster tales were stories slaves told about

how cleverness can outwit a stronger opponent.

• Joel Chandler Harris wrote down the Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit stories.

• The Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit stories were originally slave stories.

• Gullah is a combination of English and African languages.

Notes

• Most Georgians did not own slaves.

Notes• Education was a low priority for Georgians

because:– Children worked in the fields– It was parents’ responsibility to educate not the

government– Not enough children in one place to form school

• Even though Georgia’s first constitution called for schools to be set up in each county, they were not because the legislature did not provide the money needed to set up schools.

Notes

• Southern Baptist and Methodist churches broke away from their northern counterparts over the issue of slavery.

• Most black churches in Georgia were Baptist.

Notes

• Crawford Long was the first doctor to successfully use ether as an anesthetic.

• Some reforms made to improve the treatment of criminals:– Cruel punishment was abolished– Prisoners were provided with clothing,

blankets, heat, and medical care