LOUISVILLE

Louisville became the capital

of GA in 1796.

Named after King Louis XVI, a

French king who helped during
the Revolution.
It was closer to the new center
of Georgia.
Eventually malaria spread and
trade slowed.
The capital was eventually
moved to Milledgeville.

Economic Development
Georgias expansion westward
was due in part to the success of
cotton.
But, there was a problem. Cotton
was supposed to be a cash crop.
It was raised to produce a profit for
farmers.
The problem was the process of
removing the seed from the cotton
In 1793, while visiting a friend, Eli
Whitney invented the cotton gin.
It was a system of rollers, teeth
and brushes that cleaned cotton of
its seeds.
It changed the history of the United
States and the South. Its
unintentional consequence was it
increased the need for slaves.

Transportation Development
Georgias increase in cotton
production led to the need for faster
transportation.
This was important so that cotton
could get from interior Georgia to
Savannah to be traded.
The answer was railroads.
Before railroads were built, cotton
was moved around via riverboats,
ferries, or wagon trains.
The work began in 1834, but by
1860, there were more than 1,200
miles of rails in Georgia.

A New Georgia City

The city of Atlanta was created
around the railroad.
The railroad ended at a town
called Terminus.
Eventually more railroads met there, leading to the towns
growth.
The Terminus name was changed to Marthasville in 1843 to
honor the governors daughter, then finally to Atlanta in 1845.
The name is the feminine for Atlantic, in honor of the Western
& Atlantic railroad.
It is important to note that Atlanta was not an important town
until the time of the Civil War (hmmmm is this a hint?)