During the antebellum period many things changed. There was more cotton produced.

There were
different social classes. Also Social Reforms, Education and Religion became more important. All these
things changed Georgia into what it is today.
Georgias prosperity relied on a number of things but mostly cotton. Cotton was one of the most
produced crops in the south. There were two different kinds of cotton Sea Island cotton and short fiber
cotton. The short fiber cotton had its seeds entangled tightly so that it was very difficult to get them out.
The Sea Island cotton however did not have its seeds entangled so tightly, but it only grew on Sea
Islands on the coast. Soon after 1793 cotton became more prosperous than ever when Eli Whitney
created the cotton gin. This machine speed up the process of taking the seeds out of the cotton. Soon
short fiber cotton sale price plummeted because they had more of a supply then a demand because
they had so much of it. Whitney never prospered from the cotton gin but soon made a contract with
the United States to speed up the manufacturing time for guns.
The people of the south included planters, yeoman farmers, poor whites, black Georgians. Each of these
people where considered to be in a social class. Many people in these social classes were considered
poor. When they were wealthy they were mostly wealthy plantation owners. The planter social class
includes bankers, planters, lawyers and merchants. Many planters watched over their workers and were
in change of their work, but many hired overseers to watch their crops and slaves. Most plantation
owners had a lot of power over their society so many went in to the state government or the congress.
The yeoman farmers were another group of people living in Georgia. These were middle class farmers
that didnt have many or no slaves at all. The yeoman farmers grew what they ate. They grew all their
own food and lived in little log cabins. Although the yeoman farmers were not as wealthy as the
plantation owners they grew their food all on their own without slave help.
The poor whites were on the social class above slaves, but still very poor. These people owned no land
built homes on land that was no theirs. The men hunted for food while the women grew corn and crops
to sell for cash. About one tenth of the population were poor whites and were often looked down upon
by slaves and other members of society.
Black Georgians were mostly enslaved in the south. Less than 1 percent of black Georgians were free.
Many slave owners beat or whipped their slaves for discipline. The only time many slaves got off was on
Sundays and on holiday occasions. Many Blacks could not stand up against their owners and had to
endear the pain and suffering. Many became Artisans and craftsmen to make different tools and other
things. While the Black Georgians had a African background they lived in Georgia so they adopted and
combined white traditions with African traditions. This created a mix culture.
There were schools in Georgia according to Georgias first constitution, but many people did not want a
public school for their children. Most people thought that they could teach their children farming and
sewing. Because of this thought from many Georgians were illiterate. Many collages however were
developed through churches. While some people believed in no education others believed that
education was the key to success.

There are many dominations of the protestant religion. It includes Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran,
Moravian, and Baptist. Many churches were created and many meetings were held to show faith. Many
slaves attended church with their masters and read the bible. Many slaves created their own churches.
The African Methodist Episcopal was one of the many churches they created. Through all the hard time
slaves still believed that they would reach a promise land and be removed from bondage.
During the antebellum period Georgia started to take care of its people. They made it harder to put
people in jail for not paying their debt. They also built a penitentiary which they could put people to
think about their crimes. They also had a school for blind people in Macon. They also put an asylum for
crazy people and retarded people. They were no longer thrown in jail with other criminals. After the
antebellum period Georgia cared a lot more about its people.
After the antebellum period Georgia was a better state. They had better cotton and social classes
became less of an issue. Also Religion, Social Reforms, and Education were more important to the
people of Georgia. This all effected what we now know as Georgia and Georgia is a better place because
of it.

Work sited"Chapter 11." The Georgia Studies Book the State and Our Nation. U of Georgia. Print.