1793 Eli Whitney, Cotton Gin
The invention of cotton gin can be considered as a social and economic revolution to the people in the then Southern United States. The cotton gin event is historical as far as the American history of slavery and industrialization is concerned. The cotton gin is a machine that applied to pull fibres from the cotton wool. The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in the year 1793. Eli Whitney invented the machine while working as an employee for Catherine Greene, being a widow of General Nathaniel Greene. Whitney received the patent for the cotton gin in 1794, having satisfied the effectiveness and the efficiency required for cotton processing. This invention was a turning point for cotton farming in the US. Moreover, the cotton gin invention enhanced a revolution in cotton production, especially in the Southern United States. The massive production of cotton had a great impact on the institution of slavery. Without the cotton gin, cotton farming and processing were quite intensive. Raising cotton, harvesting, and separation of the seeds from the fibre was done by the slaves. The high costs of maintaining the largest plantations were cut down by the introduction of the cotton gin (Whitney, 2013). Therefore, cotton farming became less labour-intensive but more lucrative. The Deep South was the main point of focus when one discusses cotton farming in the US. The rise in cotton growth enhanced relative growth in the cotton-based agricultural economy. The invention of the cotton gin was a major factor that enhanced the spread of slavery. The states such as Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama had enhanced more slavery (Oakes, 2016). The state of cotton farming and slavery before and after the invention of the cotton gin depicts the importance of this invention.
Cotton farming in the United States was nowhere to be mentioned until after the 1812 war. The cotton boom was experienced in the midcentury, making it the key cash crop. The high production of cotton demanded a high number of slaves (Elliot et al., 1860). Research indicates that the American cotton supply contributed to two-thirds of the global supply. At the end of the civil war, cotton production had dominated the Southern United States. The high cotton production from the South led to the emergence of the philosophy “cotton is king”. This philosophy was a perception by the people from the South that the Northern people would not threaten them as they depended on the cotton from the South. One of the distinctions of the Southern cotton was that it was a hybrid: Gossypium barbadense. This breed was a mix of Siamese, Georgia, and Mexican. The elites had expected that the North would submit to the southern demand. Moreover, the South expected international recognition for its cotton production.
Despite the flourishing of cotton production as well as the invention of the cotton gin, the “cotton is king” philosophy emanated to be faulty. Contrary to the southern perception, the international community had the capacity to survive without Southern raw goods. This implies that the Southern manufacturing industry ironically needed the support of the international community. The international community was able to access alternative markets. Nevertheless, the invention of the cotton gin distinguished the South United States from other international communities. The South was perceived to be the source of food for the international community. The rise in the production of cotton increased the spread of slavery across the states.
References
Elliot, E. N., Christy, D., Bledsoe, A. T., Harper, R. G., Stringfellow, T., Hammond, J. H., … & Hodge, C. (1860). Cotton is king, and pro-slavery arguments: comprising the writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartwright, on this important subject. Pritchard, Abbott & Loomis.
Oakes, J. (2016). Capitalism and slavery and the Civil War. International La
Whitney, E. (2013). Correspondence of Eli Whitney relative to the Invention of the Cotton Gin. Read Books Ltd.