Eli Whitney Invented The Cotton Gin In The 1800's
Maggie Friedman
Professor Sullivan
TSEM 102 Section 058
22 September 2014
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in the late 1800’s. Its original purpose was to help people separate cotton fibers from their seeds. This process was necessary in order to use the cotton in its proper way. This invention came at a time when slavery was starting to slowly become less crucial to the nation’s economy and freeing slaves was gaining momentum. The cotton gin soiled all plans of reducing slavery by increasing production of cotton and completely revamping slavery in the south. It made slaves monetarily worth more; by making cotton a cash crop; cheap to grow and much easier to pick.
Invented on March 14th 1794, the cotton gin was a product of the
American Industrial Revolution. Previous to its invention, separating cotton fibers from its seeds was a labor intensive and unprofitable venture. “Before the introduction of the mechanical cotton gin, an unskilled worker would clean an average of one pound of cotton in one day. In contrast, a worker using a cotton gin could clean fifty pounds of cotton a day when using a larger model… (Kosty, Lubar, Rhar 41)” This would eventually be one of the causes of our nation turning against itself, also known as the Civil War. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin can be directly correlated to the south deciding to secede. “Progress has different meanings for different people. And for people of African descent, the cotton gin was not progress. It was a further entrenchment of enslavement. And for African Americans, the Industrial Revolution, those technological advances in the textile industry, did not mean progress. It meant slavery. (Margaret Washington)”
Before Whitney revealed the cotton gin, the United States was producing just about 750,000 bales of hay, whereas afterwards moving to a steady number of 2.85 million bales by 1850. By 1860, cotton was a cash crop. Cotton production in the South had greatly increased. The number of slaves in the United States had increased. The dependency on slaves had increased, as capital had been invested in slaves, not in transportation or factories. All this happened because of a very simple machine, the cotton gin. During the Civil War, the decision to invest so heavily in cotton and slavery led to huge disadvantages for the South. A large portion of their population was uneducated slaves. They had no factories to produce goods and to become self sufficient when they separated from the North. Because the South had not modernized their transportation system, they were not able to move men and supplies easily across the country, a distinct advantage for the North.
In conclusion, Eli Whitney’s invention, the cotton gin, negatively affected America in a massive way. The cotton gin not only caused slavery to have a second wind, but also had a direct impact on the Civil War. All of this turmoil was caused by one man’s invention that turned cotton into a cash crop.
Bibliography
Civil War. Civil War Trust, 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
.
"Cotton Gin and Eli Whitney." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22
Sept. 2014. .
"History of Cotton Gin - Types of Cotton Gin." Cotton Acres. Cotton Acres, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
Kosty, Carlita, Steven Lubar, and Bill Rhar. JSTOR. Organization of American Historians, 2000. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
Sullivan, Nate. "The Cotton Gin: Definition, History & Impact." Education Portal.
Education Portal, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
Woods, Robert O. "How the Cotton Gin Started the Civil War." ASME. The American
Society of Mechanical Engineers, Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
Professor Sullivan
TSEM 102 Section 058
22 September 2014
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in the late 1800’s. Its original purpose was to help people separate cotton fibers from their seeds. This process was necessary in order to use the cotton in its proper way. This invention came at a time when slavery was starting to slowly become less crucial to the nation’s economy and freeing slaves was gaining momentum. The cotton gin soiled all plans of reducing slavery by increasing production of cotton and completely revamping slavery in the south. It made slaves monetarily worth more; by making cotton a cash crop; cheap to grow and much easier to pick.
Invented on March 14th 1794, the cotton gin was a product of the
American Industrial Revolution. Previous to its invention, separating cotton fibers from its seeds was a labor intensive and unprofitable venture. “Before the introduction of the mechanical cotton gin, an unskilled worker would clean an average of one pound of cotton in one day. In contrast, a worker using a cotton gin could clean fifty pounds of cotton a day when using a larger model… (Kosty, Lubar, Rhar 41)” This would eventually be one of the causes of our nation turning against itself, also known as the Civil War. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin can be directly correlated to the south deciding to secede. “Progress has different meanings for different people. And for people of African descent, the cotton gin was not progress. It was a further entrenchment of enslavement. And for African Americans, the Industrial Revolution, those technological advances in the textile industry, did not mean progress. It meant slavery. (Margaret Washington)”
Before Whitney revealed the cotton gin, the United States was producing just about 750,000 bales of hay, whereas afterwards moving to a steady number of 2.85 million bales by 1850. By 1860, cotton was a cash crop. Cotton production in the South had greatly increased. The number of slaves in the United States had increased. The dependency on slaves had increased, as capital had been invested in slaves, not in transportation or factories. All this happened because of a very simple machine, the cotton gin. During the Civil War, the decision to invest so heavily in cotton and slavery led to huge disadvantages for the South. A large portion of their population was uneducated slaves. They had no factories to produce goods and to become self sufficient when they separated from the North. Because the South had not modernized their transportation system, they were not able to move men and supplies easily across the country, a distinct advantage for the North.
In conclusion, Eli Whitney’s invention, the cotton gin, negatively affected America in a massive way. The cotton gin not only caused slavery to have a second wind, but also had a direct impact on the Civil War. All of this turmoil was caused by one man’s invention that turned cotton into a cash crop.
Bibliography
Civil War. Civil War Trust, 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
.
"Cotton Gin and Eli Whitney." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22
Sept. 2014. .
"History of Cotton Gin - Types of Cotton Gin." Cotton Acres. Cotton Acres, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
Kosty, Carlita, Steven Lubar, and Bill Rhar. JSTOR. Organization of American Historians, 2000. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
Sullivan, Nate. "The Cotton Gin: Definition, History & Impact." Education Portal.
Education Portal, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .
Woods, Robert O. "How the Cotton Gin Started the Civil War." ASME. The American
Society of Mechanical Engineers, Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. .