The Land Lotteries were a nineteenth century system of land redistribution, present mainly in Georgia. Under this system, certain citizens could win lots of land formerly occupied by Creek and Cherokee Indians. The lottery was used by the State of Georgia between 1805 and 1833.
The frontier land acquired through the lotteries was originally used for tobacco cultivation, but with the introduction of cotton and the cotton gin, agriculture shifted to large-scale cotton production. This change called for more slaves. Therefore, the land lottery not only increased the landholdings of common people, but also gave them a chance to become slaveowners.
