Technological Innovation:

The Cotton Gin

By: Amy Gregory

Before the Cotton Gin•Small cotton economy existed in

the South near the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia

•Could only use the long-staple cotton because it was easier to separate from its seeds

•The main source of economy in the southern states were indigo and tobacco

•Cotton had to be picked, and de-seeded by hand before it could be sold, mainly by slaves

History of the Cotton Gin •Created by Eli Whitney in 1973

-Eli made very little money off the invention

- Farmers would duplicate the cotton gin without royalties• The machine had a very basic idea

-Cotton bolls were put into the top of the machine 

- Next, you turn the handle, which turns the cotton

through the wire teeth that combs out the seeds 

- Then the cotton is pulled out of the wire teeth and out of the cotton gin• Could produce up to fifty five pounds of cleaned cotton daily, making it very popular and profitable in all areas of the South

Diagram of the Cotton Gin

Negative Effects of the Cotton Gin

•The need for slaves increased dramatically in the U.S, from around 690,000 in 1790 to around 3.95 million in 1860 as the production of cotton increased

•The following link shows the increase of slavery from 1790-1860 http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US18-02.html

•Was a factor in the Civil War between the North and South because plantation owners were dependent on slaves to pick their cotton from the fields, this lead to hostility towards the Northern states in their attempt to regulate slavery

•Depleted soil nutrients, making parts of the South less fertile over time

Positive Effects of the Cotton Gin• Made producing cotton fast, which made

the yield of raw cotton double each decade after 1800

•Northern part of the U.S. bought more cotton and built more textile mills

•Cotton became America’s leading crop, known as the “King”

•At midcentury the South provided three-fifths of America's exports, most of it being cotton

•Played a huge role in the Industrial Revolution

- Encouraged the demand for cotton mills, which created the demand for more workers

• Year Pounds• 1790 1,567,000• 1795 8,359,500• 1800 36,572,500• 1805 73,145,000• 1810 88,819,000• 1815 104,493,000• 1820 167,189,000• 1825 266,457,500• 1830 365,726,000• 1835 530,355,500• 1840 673,116,000• 1845 902,111,500• 1850 1,066,925,500• 1855 1,608,708,500• 1860 1,918,701,000

Year Pounds1790 1,567,0001795 8,359,5001800 36,572,5001805 73,145,0001810 88,819,0001815 104,493,0001820 167,189,0001825 266,457,5001830 365,726,0001835 530,355,5001840 673,116,0001845 902,111,5001850 1,066,925,5001855 1,608,708,5001860 1,918,701,000

U.S. Production of All Types of Raw Cotton,

1790-1860

Works Cited• Bellis, Mary. "The Cotton Gin and Eli Whitney." Inventors. About, 2012. Web. 26 Feb 2012.

<http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/cotton_gin.htm>.

• "Cotton Gin History." Cotton is King. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txhcgs/GinHistory.htm>.

• "Economy." Southern Block Realtors. Jonathan Porta, 2005. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://ospenterprises.com/southernblock/economy.htm>.

• "Mapping History." The Spread of Slavery:1790-1860. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US18-02.html>.

• Romero, Maureen. "Student Reading." The Cotton Gin. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/cotton_gin/pages/reading.html>.

• Schur, Joan. "Teaching With Documents: Eli Whitne'ys Patent for the Cotton Gin." National Archives. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/cotton-gin-patent/>.

• "The Cotton Gin and the Southern Economy." SocyBerty. N.p., Dec 03 2007. Web. 26 Feb 2012.

<http://socyberty.com/history/the-cotton-gin-the-southern-economy/>.

• West, Jean. "King Cotton: The Fiber of Slavery." Slavery in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_es_cotton.htm>.