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The Innovation
of the
Cotton Gin
By: Ashley Moxey
Life Before the Cotton Gin
• Picking cotton by hand was extremely labor
intensive
• Cotton was not considered a profitable crop
• Cotton was difficult to manufacture
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Slavery Before the Cotton Gin
• Slaves would have to clean cotton by hand
• Agriculture depended heavily on the slaves
in the South
• Slaves had to pick the seeds out of the
cotton fibers and it took them one day to
produce 1 lb. of cotton
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Eli Whitney Biography
• Born on December 8, 1765 in Westboro, Quic kTim e™ and a
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• Worked on father’s farm
• At age 15, had part-time job in father’s shop
making nails
• While tutoring on a Georgian Plantation he
noticed slaves having trouble picking seed
from cotton bolls
• Graduated Yale College in 1792
• Was an American inventor best known for
the cotton gin
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Eli Whitney
Invention of the Cotton Gin
•Eli Whitney Invented the Cotton Gin
April 1793
• Took him 10 days to draw a plan for the
machine
• His gin was able to clean 50 lbs. of cotton a
day
• Reason for inventing it: he saw it took too
long to clean cotton
Letter Eli wrote to his father
about his invention.
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The Cotton Gin: What is it?
The cotton gin is a machine used to
separate cotton fibers from the seed.
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How The Cotton Gin Works
1. First, the fibers and seeds of cotton bolls are fed
into the cotton gin…
2. Next, while the handle is turned, the cylinder
and brushes rotate…
3. Wire teeth pull cotton bolls through narrow wire
slots…
4. Seeds too large fall to bottom of the gin…
5. Clean cotton fiber is pulled by rotating brushes
from wire teeth out of the gin.
Slavery After the Invention of the
Cotton Gin
• Economic foundation of slavery
strengthened
• More land was used to grow cotton,
therefore more slaves were needed
• Solidified the need for slavery in the South
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Slaves using the cotton gin.
Effects of the Cotton Gin on
American Society…
Positive Negative
1. Massive growth 1. Need for slaves increased
of cotton production 2. Number of slave states shot up
easier 3. Took land from Native Americans
2. Expanded Northern textile mills
3. Became cash crop of America
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Patent on the Cotton Gin
• Whitney applied for patent on the cotton gin
• Patent was ignored
• More people made their own design
• Whitney never became wealthy from QuickTime™ and a
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written. Actual sketch of cotton
gin.
Eli Whitney died on January 8, 1825 in
New Haven, Connecticut.
Eli Whitney’s tomb at Grove Street
Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut.
Eli Whitney’s
grave memorial.
Evolution of the Cotton Gin.
First cotton gin Modern cotton gin
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Historical Significance
of the Cotton Gin
• Cotton became America’s leading cash crop
• Impact on Slavery in the South
• Greater availability and cheaper cloth
• Affected politics until Civil War
• Turning Point in economic history of US
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Present Day Significance
What can you make from a bale of cotton?
Weight = 480 lbs. (size of a refrigerator!)
From that bale, you can make:
215 Pairs of Jeans
409 Men’s Sport Shirts
690 Terry Bath Towels
765 Men’s Dress Shirts
1,217 Men’s T-shirts
3,085 Diapers
4,321 Mid-Calf Socks
313,600 $100 Bills
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? Question for Debate ?
Would slavery in the South have withered
away without the Innovation of the
Cotton Gin?
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