Sometimes or actions have unforeseen consequences. When
Henry Ford created his Model T automobile, he knew that he had created product
that would make him a fortune. Ford new that his invention was going to make
transportation faster and more efficient, what he did not envision was how his
automobile would transform the culture of the United States.
Eli Whitney new that his cotton gin had the potential to make him money,
he could foresee how his invention would revolutionize the American South and
help cause the spread of slavery.
Eli Whitney was hired by Catherine Greene to solve a problem with
cleaning cotton. Coastal cotton, which was grown in Georgia and South Carolina
was very costly. Planters and farmers struggled to make a profit growing
cotton. Whitney's invention was supposed to make cleaning cotton faster
and more efficient. In March of 1794, Eli Whitney was issued a patent for his
cotton gin that could effectively clean 55 pounds of cotton in one day.
News of Whitney's invention made him famous across the South and many
sought to recreate Whitney's cotton gin for themselves. For the next 20
years, Whitney would spend a fortune defending his patent in courts across the
United States. The cotton gin would prove to be an economic success for
the South, but an economic test for Whitney who would not make the fortune from
his invention that he dreamed of.
In the years following the invention of the cotton gin the production of
cotton increased dramatically across the United States. As more farmers
began to plant cotton there was an increase in the demand for slaves.
Over the
past 20 years there has been an increased emphasis placed on the roles of
slaves, southern planters, and Catherine Greene with the invention of the
cotton gin. Tonights reading offers different perspectives on the story
of the cotton gin.
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