While there are claims that similar machines had been invented prior to whitneys gin, there is no firm. The cotton gin, a mechanical device which removes the seeds from cotton was. Whitneys gin used a combination of a wire screen and small wire hooks to pull the cotton through, while brushes continuously removed the loose cotton lint to prevent jams. For a century and a half cotton farming dominated the southern united states. The cotton gin was invented in 1793 by eli whitney to clean cotton fibers from the seeds cotton gin. Miscellaneous considerations 105 fuel value of gin wastes, by anselm c. Osha requirements for guards in cotton gins are summarized in this book in. Longstaple cotton, which was easy to separate from its seeds, could be grown only along the coast. The cotton gin was invented by eli whitney in 1793. Before the invention of the gin, northern colonists wore wool, even in summer, because it was less expensive than cotton. The fibers are then processed into various cotton goods such as calico, while any undamaged cotton is used largely for textiles like clothing. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The development of the cotton gin is a very intense point of american history and needs to be mastered to understand the slave, cotton era, the production industries of the north, why the rapid political and economic transition from the south to the north.
He is most known for inventing the cotton gin, a machine that cleans cotton of its seeds powered by water, animals, or humans. In 1792, recent college graduate eli whitney moved to georgia to work as a tutor on a plantation. Cotton gin in 1793 transforms cotton production owning slaves was a sign of higher status southern plantation aristocratic class majority of southerners did not own slaves, yet supported slavery code of chivalry strong sense of honor amongst southerners as northerners become critical of slavery and slave. The number of enslaved people rose with the increase. On june 20, 1793, eli whitney, who had graduated from yale the previous year, wrote to secretary of state thomas jefferson, requesting a patent for his new invention, the cotton gin. Cotton had been made easier to clean and as it grew so easily it became the number one cash crop in the south. Before its invention, separating cotton fibers from its seeds was a laborintensive and unprofitable venture. The lowell strikes 1834, strike for better wages lowell press and clergy critical girls return to work 1836, strike again board charges increase 12.
Either way, this would be a huge step in making the connection of how huge the cotton gin was in the. Greene was struggling to make her plantation profitable. Prior to the cotton gins invention, workers had to. Indeed the invention of the cotton gin in 1793 followed by only four years the establishment of the government. Apr 06, 2017 the development of the cotton gin is a very intense point of american history and needs to be mastered to understand the slave, cotton era, the production industries of the north, why the rapid political and economic transition from the south to the north. The cotton gin separated the seeds from the lint, which was baled and sold. The growth of industry modern factory system begins, 1750. Also contributed to the concept of interchangeable parts that were exactly alike and easily assembled or exchanged. They come to realize the complexity of what may seem like a simple historical statement found in most social studies textbooks. Contradictions plague holleys book and make it difficult for the reader to follow his.
Prior to this time, the major commodities produced and exported by the south were tobacco and rice. With the gin short for engine, raw cotton could be quickly cleaned. Students debate who invented the cotton gin after reading the student essay why a plantation. The americans chapter 7 wayne county public schools. Griffin, jr 105 fire prevention considerations, by j. Eli whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 or 1794. Eli whitney cotton gin for kids george washington was the 1st american president who served in office from april 30, 1789 to march 4, 1797. In 1790 congress passed a patent law to protect the rights of those who developed. Sep 17, 2009 the cotton gin made possible the widespread cultivation of cotton which transformed the south and kept the worlds cotton factories busy for decades. The cotton gin made possible the widespread cultivation of cotton which transformed the south and kept the worlds cotton factories busy for decades. The machine had spiked teeth on a boxed revolving cylinder to pick the seeds. Cotton gin 1793 king cotton slavery explodes southern capital tied up in slaves. The cotton g in was an invention created by eli whitney.
The cotton gin was an important invention because it dramatically reduced the amount of time it took to separate cotton seeds from cotton fiber. For most of the 1700 s, americans had lacked cotton, despite the fact that they had waterways for transport and the ability to construct textile factories. The cotton gin is a machine that separates cotton seeds from cotton fiber. At that time, whitney was in the employ of catherine greene, the widow of general nathaniel greene. The cotton gin was a wooden drum stuck with hooks which pulled the cotton fibres through a mesh.
The separated seeds may be used to grow more cotton or to. After the cotton gin was produced by eli whitney in 1793, cotton became the most produced material in the 1800s. Eli whitney went into business with phineas miller. Once cotton was picked from the field, seeds had to be removed from the cotton fiber by hand before cotton could be sold. Tells the story of how eli whitney invented the cotto. Whitneys cotton gin patent not worth much the cotton gin was the little engine that could and did transform the economy of the south and change the course of american history.
The gin made cotton cultivation more profitable, revitalizing the southern economy and increasing the importance of slavery in the south. Cotton south quotations rausser college of natural resources. The cotton gin is a device for removing the seeds from cotton fiber. Before the invention of the cotton gin, in 1793, the process was extremely laborintensive.
What were some important effects of the invention of the. Similar to todays massive machines, whitneys cotton gin used hooks to draw unprocessed cotton through a smallmesh screen that separated the fiber from seeds and husks. The cotton gin developed by eli whitney in 1793 marked a major turning point in the economic history of the southern united states. A modern mechanical cotton gin was created by american inventor eli whitney in 1793 and patented in 1794. The cotton seeds would not fit through the mesh and fell outside.
The seeds are sticky and sometimes difficult to separate from the cotton fiber. The civil war was inevitable, only however, after one key event. While it was true that the cotton gin reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves to grow and pick the cotton. Essay the movement of the cotton gin by eli whitney. Cotton gin background cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant. The cotton gin changed the entire cotton growing industry. Machine and myth in antebellum america johns hopkins studies in the history of technology revised edition by angela lakwete author visit amazons angela lakwete page. The modern mechanical cotton gin was invented by eli whitney in 1793, and patented in 1794. The cotton gin, patented by americanborn born inventor eli whitney in 1794, revolutionized the cotton industry by greatly speeding up the tedious process of removing seeds and husks from cotton fiber. The south became the cotton producing part of the country because whitneys cotton gin was able to successfully pull out the seeds from the cotton balls. Eli whitney was the inventor of the cotton gin and a pioneer in the mass production of cotton. The industrial revolution in england and the invention of the cotton gin in the u. Tells the story of how eli whitney invented the cotton gin, and the effects it had on the southern united states.
The main impact of the invention of the cotton gin in 1793. Seed production, harvesting, and ginning of cotton wiley online. Cotton gin, machine for cleaning cotton of its seeds, invented in the united states by eli whitney in 1793. Cotton production chart retrieved from the american journey book. The cotton gin enabled one worker to clean cotton as fast as 50 people working by hand. He applied for a patent in patent granted the cotton gin is a machine that sped up the process of cotton production by reducing the time taken to remove cotton seeds from cotton fibre. A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates the cotton fibres from the seeds.
Sep 23, 2016 eli whitneys patent for the cotton gin background eli whitney and the need for an invention. Ely whitney was born on december 8, 1767 in massachusetts. The cotton gin made cotton tremendously profitable, which encouraged westward migration to new areas of the us south to grow more cotton. Of these methods, manual harvesting of seed cotton. The cotton gin is an example of an invention directly called forth by an immediate demand. The most significant of these was the growth of slavery. The cotton gin which was invented by eli whitney in 1793 was a revolutionary machine. This invention was a quicker alternative to picking seed out of cotton by hand. The eli whitney cotton gin phineas miller the eli whitney cotton gin was an amazing invention and vast profits could be made by farmers by using the eli whitney cotton gin that automated the seed separation process. Baker 101 effects of gin machinery on cotton quality, by anselm c. One of the important events during his presidency was the invention of the eli whitney cotton gin. The mechanical cotton picker, black migration, and how they. The story of cotton national cotton council of america.
The invention of the cotton gin, a device that separates cotton fibers from the seeds, is. Lakwete targets this myth in inventing the cotton gin and largely demolishes it. The phmt should have access to good roads, powerlines, and potable water. Cotton is an important fiber crop grown under varying climatic conditions in more than. Thomas jefferson to eli whitney, november 16, 1793. The cotton gin is a machine that is used to pull cotton fibers from the cotton seed. The patent act of 1793 gave the secretary of state the power to issue a patent to. How much did the cotton gin cost in 1793, when it was. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 was the key element which enabled the south to have sufficient vested interest in their traditional lifestyle in order to feel the need to defend it at all costs even from their northern countrymen. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 led to an increase. The cotton gin the eli whitney museum and workshop. A cotton gin meaning cotton engine is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. Eli whitney, a native of massachusetts, secured a patent on the cotton gin in 1793, though patent office records indicate that the first cotton gin may have been built by a machinist named.
Also, if the gin is in a town or village, it should be located where the prevailing avinds will move dust. Jan 21, 2015 the invention of the cotton gin 1793 coach kouba. Cotton was first spun by machinery in england in 1730. How much of an impact the gin which is short for engine had on the retention of slavery in the south is still being debated. To convert mechanically harvested cotton in to a salable product, gins of today have to dry and clean the seed cotton, separate the fiber from the seed, further clean the fibres and place the fibres in to an acceptable package for commerce. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Eli whitney, a native of massachusetts, secured a patent on the cotton gin in 1793, though patent. The cotton gin made the cotton industry of the south explode. Although whitney patented his invention in 1793, it was copied by a lot of people due to its simplicity.
Cotton growing became so profitable for the planters that it greatly increased their demand for both land and slave. Those similar to number one but using pushpull fans and having. On this day in 1793, young inventor eli whitney had his u. As eli whitney left new england and headed south in 1792, he had no idea that within the next seven months he would invent a machine that would profoundly alter the course of american history. But todays modern cotton gin is required to do much more. There, whitney learned that southern planters were eager to make cotton a profitable crop.
The first major innovation in the market revolution was eli whitneys invention of the cotton gin in 1793. In 1793 eli whitney of massachusetts invented thecotton gin,a simple machine that quickly and efficiently removed the seeds from the cotton fiber. Resulted in more cotton production and more slaves are needed for more acres of cotton fields. This created a higher need for slaves in the south and in 18201830 slave revolts, strikes and protest were at an alltime high. More information on adobe acrobat pdf files is available on our accessibility page. Originally, whitney and miller planned to ask for the profits, and not sell any machinesgins. After eli whitney unveiled his cotton gin, processing cotton became much easier, resulting in greater availability and cheaper cloth. In 1793, whitney invented and submitted a patent for the cotton gina machine that used rotating brushes and teeth to remove seeds from cotton fiber. It was an invention created to reduce work and make cotton production quicker cotton gin. Analyze how the invention of the cotton gin impacted the deep south. Cotton gin in 1793 transforms cotton production owning slaves was a sign of higher status southern plantation aristocratic class majority of southerners did not own slaves, yet supported slavery code of chivalry strong sense of honor amongst southerners as. Analyze the effect the invention of the cotton gin had on the deep. It is credited with fixing cotton cultivation, virtually to the exclusion of other crops, in the u.
Eli whitneys patent for the cotton gin national archives. It caused great reduction in the time it took to clean cotton. Eli whitney and the cotton gin by jessica gunderson. Handbook for cotton ginners seed cotton as may be required by harvesting prac tices. The term gin comes from the abbreviation for the word engine. If possible, it should have police and organized fire protection. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 history essay. The invention of the cotton gin and its historic impact.
502 676 183 1273 328 1270 642 285 1272 351 1535 1322 91 775 1023 508 879 498 842 343 1201 424 1126 202 747 862 1158 521 1375 104 505 669 568 844 881 1141 800 948 517 530 449 683 958 978 971 596 976 1404 1129