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Have you ever wondered "why Georgia?" Why is Atlanta the biggest city in the south? Why is the state still so demographically segregated? What is Sea Island Cotton? Cotton played a critical role in shaping not only Georgia, but the entire south. In this exhibit, we focus on the effect of the cotton kingdom in Georgia, specifically, the use of the famed cotton gin, slave life, and the lasting effects of cotton on Georgia. The adoption of Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin by Georgia cotton growers brought both immense prosperity and ensuing turmoil to the state from heightened slave labor demand and a boom in wealth, helping accelerate the end of Slavery in America and foster a new Georgia.