Cotton Gin, Railroads, and Slavery – DBQ

DIRECTIONS: Carefully look at each document, which could be a chart, diagram, quote, or description. Then, use the document to respond to the guiding questions. At the end of the packet, you’ll use ALL of your thoughtful answers to answer a longer question.

DOCUMENT 1Eli Whitney invented the mechanical cotton gin in 1793. Before this invention, removing seeds from cotton was very time consuming. Slaves removed seeds from each cotton bowl by hand.

1. Based on the information, photograph, and diagram provided, how did the use of this technology change the way cotton was processed?

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DOCUMENT 2

1. What kind of technology was used in the Antebellum Period that allowed the use of steam engines? (Think about your science concepts of energy.) ___________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

2. How does this technology allow Georgia’s plantation system to expand? _________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

DOCUMENT 3

2a. Based on the charts above, explain how the invention of the cotton gin changed the amount of cotton produced. (Use the specific details provided.)

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2b. Based on the charts above, state one effect the cotton gin had on slavery.

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DOCUMENT 3A: . . However, like many inventors, Whitney (who died in 1825) could not have foreseen the ways in which his invention would change society for the worse. The most significant of these was the growth of slavery. While it was true that the cotton gin reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves to grow and pick the cotton. In fact, the opposite occurred. Cotton growing became so profitable for the planters that it greatly increased their demand for both land and slave labor. In 1790 there were six slave states; in 1860 there were 15. From 1790 until Congress banned the importation of slaves from Africa in 1808, Southerners imported 80,000 Africans. By 1860 approximately one in three Southerners was a slave. . . .3a. Based on this document, state one effect the invention of the cotton gin had on the number of slave states.

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B: . . . Because of the cotton gin, slaves now labored on ever-larger plantations where work was more regimented [organized] and relentless [unending]. As large plantations spread into the Southwest, the price of slaves and land inhibited [slowed] the growth of cities and industries. In the 1850s seven-eighths of all immigrants settled in the North, where they found 72% of the nation’s manufacturing capacity. The growth of the “peculiar institution” [slavery] was affecting many aspects of Southern life.

3b. Based on this document, state one effect the invention of the cotton gin had on the growth of cities and industry in the South.

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DOCUMENT 4

4. Based on the chart, what were two advantages of using railroads over other methods of transportation?

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DOCUMENT 5

Another important technological development that had a major impact on the state of Georgia was the invention of the railroad. Many of Georgia’s cities and towns were created due to the railroad, including the city of Atlanta. The first Georgia railroad was chartered in 1832. It was created in part by businessmen in Athens who needed a better way to transport cotton to Augusta due to poor road conditions. In the 1840s and 1850s, railroads had spread across so much of the state that Georgia ranked in the top 10 for railroad track millage. Georgia had the most miles of track in the Deep South.

The city of Atlanta was created as a railroad hub for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. This track ran from Chattanooga, Tennessee to a small hub called “Terminus,” which means “end of the line.” Later, two other railroad lines combined with this point, causing the city to grow even more. Terminus changed its name in 1843, to Marthasville, after the former governor Wilson Lumpkin’s daughter. Its name was changed again in 1845 to Atlanta, which many claim was simply a feminization of the name Atlantic. Due to the invention of the railroad, Atlanta became the first major American city to be built on a location without a navigable river.

5a. What was the reason behind creating the first railroad in Georgia?

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5b. Cause: ___________________________________ Effect: Cities and towns were created

5c. What was special about Georgia’s railroads? __________________________________________________________

5d. How did the city of Atlanta come to be? ______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

DOCUMENT 6

Georgia Cotton Production - 1860

Using the information provided on the map, answer the following questions.

6a. The different shaded counties represent different financial values. Which area of Georgia sold the most cotton?

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6b. Which area of Georgia had the most railroad lines? __________________________________

6c. What connection can we make between these two factors? _______________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________

Extended Response Question: What effects did innovations like the cotton gin and railroads have on slavery in Georgia? Use details from AT LEAST 4 documents to support your answer. This should be a multi-paragraph answer.

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Process for Writing the Extended Response

1. Break down the question

What effects did innovations like the cotton gin and railroads have on slavery in Georgia?

Circle the key words above. Define any words you don’t know. Write down a sentence or phrase explaining what the question is asking you to do.

2. Locate the information

Because all of the information you need is found in this DBQ packet, you don’t have to answer this question from memory. What you DO need to do is locate the relevant and important information.

Think about the main components of this question: effects, cotton gin, railroads, slavery

2a. Write the document numbers next to each topic

Cotton gin: ________________________________________________________________________ Railroads:_________________________________________________________________________ Slavery:___________________________________________________________________________

3. Find the main ideas

For each component of the extended response question, use the information in the documents to write a sentence with a main idea.

What do the documents say about the following topics:

Cotton gin: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Railroads: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Slavery: ______________________________________________________________________________________

4. Write an introduction.

You have all of the information and ideas collected! Now it’s time to write an introductory paragraph, which should introduce the topic and state your main argument.

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5. Outline Your Response

An outline is the simplest way to plan your writing. Here’s a simple, pre-made outline that you can use to organize your thoughts:

A. IntroductionB. First Point (begin with cotton gin or railroads): _____________________________________________________

I. Supporting details (which documents will you use to find details?):__________________________________C. Second Point (cotton gin or railroads): ________________________________________________________________

I. Supporting details (which documents will you use to find details?):_____________________________________D. Conclusion