Live Exploration: Georgia Cotton

A bale of cotton weighs about 500 pounds. In this graphic, learn how many items can be made from that one bale! 

Use this article from the Georgia Cotton Commission to discover the history and origins of cotton, where and how it's grown, and the importance of cotton in Georgia. 

When thinking of cotton, do you think of snack food ingredients? Computer screens? Smartphone screens? Feed for cattle, catfish and other animals? Toothpaste? If you’re like most people you probably think first of the comfortable, breathable clothing and textiles made from cotton fiber. 

Discover where cotton is grown and the stages of growth with this article from the Georgia Cotton Commission.

Use this video to learn about cotton from the seeds to the bales.   

When George Washington Carver arrived in the South, only about one-fifth of Black farmers owned any land. The overreliance on cotton as the region's main cash crop depleted the soil of its nutrients, and the sharecropper system kept tenant farmers in a permanent state of poverty. Improving the practice of Southern agriculture and the conditions of poor farmers became Carver's chief concern.

This resource contains a facsimile of Eli Whitney's 1794 patent for the Cotton Gin. Designed to separate cotton fiber from seed, Whitney's cotton gin, for which he received a patent on March 14, 1794, introduced a new, profitable technology to agricultural production in America.

Players learn about sustainable practices by growing crops, protecting them against unforeseen problems, and determining how best to conserve resources in this interactive game.

Use this article from the Georgia Cotton Commission to discover the history and origins of cotton, where and how it's grown, and the importance of cotton in Georgia. 

Discover where cotton is grown and the stages of growth with this article from the Georgia Cotton Commission.

When George Washington Carver arrived in the South, only about one-fifth of Black farmers owned any land. The overreliance on cotton as the region's main cash crop depleted the soil of its nutrients, and the sharecropper system kept tenant farmers in a permanent state of poverty. Improving the practice of Southern agriculture and the conditions of poor farmers became Carver's chief concern.

In this lesson students will learn that the drought and the boll weevil were so devastating to the economy that it led to the “Great Migration” of both African-Americans and Whites from rural to urban areas. In addition, students will examine the impact that these natural disasters and other economic events had on popular culture (e.g. songs).

In this lesson plan, students investigate the significance of the Boll Weevil through a variety of primary and secondary sources.