Unit 6: Rev., Statehood, and Westward Exp.

Name: _________________________
Date: __________ Period: __________
Westward Expansion

**Use http://www.exceedthestandard.com/h4-west-bound.html to research

info.

Standard - SS8H4: The student will explain significant factors that affected the development of Georgia as part
of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840.

Element a.: Explain the establishment of the University of Georgia and movement of GA capitals

Element b.: Evaluate the impact of land policies pursued by Georgia; include the headright system, land
lotteries, and the Yazoo land fraud.

Element c.: Explain how technological developments, including the cotton gin and railroads, had an impact on
Georgia’s growth.

Lesson 4 – Westward Expansion – Key Vocabulary

University of Georgia (UGA) Headright System Railroads
Louisville (as GA’s capital) Land Lotteries
Spread of Baptist and Methodist Yazoo Land Fraud
Churches Cotton Gin

E.Q. – How do political policies and new technologies influence growth and development?
 Define
Who? and/or What?
University of Georgia (UGA)
 Established in January 27,1785
 Georgia’s General Assembly approved the
charter
 UGA is America’s first public university
 First state created school of higher education
in the U.S
 Originally named Franklin College
 Abraham Baldwin wrote the charter
documents for the University. He also served
as president of UGA from 1785 until 1801
Movement of GA’s Capitals (list/label GA’s capital,
include dates)
Atlanta 1868
Milledgeville 1807
Augusta
1776
Louisville 1796
Savannah 1773
Headright System
 1st method GA used to distribute land
 
 Heads of Households (white me over 21)
could receive up to 200 acres of land. If they
had family or servants, they could have more.
 Ended because of too many claimants and not
enough land
Land Lotteries
 8 in total
 a person would simply have to submit
their names to the state and pay for a
ticket.
Dates/location Connections
When? and/or Where? Why and/or How? Explain its impact on GA, and/or the “big
picture”.
January 27,1785 What was the purpose for the establishment of the
Athens Ga University of Georgia?
Baldwin believed that an educated population was
necessary for free government and that government
should make education available to all, not just the
wealthy (was available to white males)
In 1961, UGA was integrated when Hamilton Homles
and Charlayne Hunter were the first Black Students to
enroll.
Why was Georgia’s capital changed to Louisville?
1773-1868
 Center of GA’s population after the
Revolutionary War
 Served as a trading center due to location due
to its location on the Ogeechee (but not for
long because of the Malaria outbreak that
would happen)
What other cities have served as GA’s capital?
Savannah
Augusta
Louisville
Milledgeville
Atlanta
*The capitals moved west to help keep the capitals in
the center of the states population. *
1783 What impact did the Headright System have on
Georgia and its citizens?
People wanted to move to a new state for
meager wages
 The offer of FREE land was very attractive
 Free land would offer the state of GA a larger
population and a buffer zone of men to
defend the new state.
1805-1883 What impact did the land lotteries have on Georgia
and its citizens?
During the twenty-eight years in which
  On the day of the lottery, the participants’
names were placed in one drum while the
land lots bearing a number would be
placed in a second drum.  money.
 Head of a family received 100 acres and
50 acres for each additional member
Yazoo Land Fraud
 Named after a river in Mississippi
 Sold land that would become Alabama and
Mississippi to four land companies for
$500,000
 When the governor of GA signed the law into
act it was discovered that the land companies
bribed the members of the General Assembly
to sell the land.
the lottery operated, Georgia sold approximately
three-quarters of the state to about 100,000
families and individuals for minuscule amounts of
1795 What impact did the Yazoo Land Fraud have on
Georgia and its citizens?
Citizen where outraged and voted most of the
legislatures out of office. In 1796, the new legislature
returned the money to the four purchasing companies
They also had to give it to the U.S, which is now known
as Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisana, and had to pay
1.25 million to the government.

Cotton Gin
  The idea for the cotton gin was conceived
by Eli Whitney, a northerner who had
moved to Georgia in 1793.
  Eli Whitney “developed” a machine that
was capable of removing the seeds from
up to 50 pounds of cotton a day
 Due to the machine’s efficiency, the
growth of cotton became profitable in
Georgia and in the rest of the South. This
led to westward expansion as farmers
sought land capable of producing the
crop. With the focus on growing cotton
due to its profitability, the South became
a dominant force in producing much of
the world’s cotton by the end of the
nineteenth century. 
Railroads
 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
1793 What impact did the Cotton Gin have on the growth
of Georgia?
It led to the South becoming overly dependent on
one crop.
Slavery increased in Georgia and throughout the
South. Due to cotton’s profitably, more slaves
were needed in its production. This led to the
South’s support and defense of the institution of
slavery.
1832 What impact did the development of railroads have
on the growth of Georgia?
Railroads had spread across so much of the state
that Georgia ranked in the top ten for railroad
track millage. Georgia had the more miles of track
than any other of the southern states. 

Additional Notes:
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Essential Question #1: How do political policies and new technologies influence growth and development?