Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin

How one little machine caused so many problems

San Antonio College – David Cantu – History 1301.092

                                                                               

    

 

Introduction

In 1794, one of the greatest inventions ever to be produced in the United States was born. The Cotton Gin (‘gin’ is short for ‘engine’) revolutionalized the way man makes clothing. In Europe, machines already existed that could be considered precursors to the cotton gin, but Europe (especially England) did not want their inventions exported to the United States.  Luckily, cotton had become such a profitable business that the demand for it increased dramatically. In 1792, the U.S. exported 140,000 lbs of cotton to England, and by 1800, that number had risen to 17 million pounds per year. Slavery was reintroduced as a way to meet the great demand for cotton. The American farmers fortunes were causing problems for the British, who were selling their cotton to the Americans. The British realized that Americans were closer to the source material and had cheaper labor costs, making cotton a very profitable business.

What problems did Whitney encounter once he tried to patent his new machine? Since this new machinery could produce textiles much faster (making it affordable to the rich as well as the poor), what impact did this have upon these cultures? Was there a fashion war between men and women? How did women react now that they had to spend less time making clothing? With cotton becoming the number one export from the Americas, did the Europeans prefer to buy American cotton rather than have to grow it themselves?

 

Excursion Sources:

The Road To Riches  - The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) had a series that aired in August of 2000 entitled “The Road To Riches”. Program 4 dealt with the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s in England, Europe, and America.  This web page discusses some of the major industrialists of the time and a couple of inventions that revolutionalized the world.  How did people react to being replaced by machines? Are there any similarities to today’s world where computers can do the job of 10 people?  Why was Britain so far ahead of the rest of the world? Would America or France ever catch up?

 

Early American life and the Cotton Gin - Whitney’s early life and death are discussed in this very informative web page. The American Revolution was about to begin and Eli Whitney was already hard at work, producing nails in his father’s workshop. His first cotton gin was produced and things were never again the same for the young man. Do you think his father’s willingness to show him the value of hard work had anything to do with the ideas that were being produced? How did the cotton growers react when Whitney tried to sell them into buying a cotton gin? What problems did Whitney encounter while trying to make his invention a necessity?

 

The History of the Cotton Gin - American inventor Eli Whitney patents one of the greatest achievements of man-the cotton gin. Not only did this simple little machine do the work of a couple of people in record time, it won the world over. But, not everything went according to plan. Whitney did not make his fortune on his invention, and slavery was reintroduced as a viable option to deal with the great demand for cotton.  How did farmers react to the cotton gin? Now that cotton was a major source of revenue, did other crops suffer because of it? Once communities converted to planting cotton and the price of cotton fell, how did this affect these communities?

 

The Eli Whitney Museum - This is the official Whitney Museum Site. The inventor’s trials and tribulations are discussed. Too much cotton was being produced and not enough cotton gins were available, making farmers make “bootleg” versions of it. Whitney and his partner Phineas Miller were trying to come up with a business plan on selling the gin to farmers, but by the time a patent was granted to Whitney, they were in serious financial trouble. How do you think his troubles could have been avoided? Did the government and the states take advantage of him and used his invention for their financial gain? What were his views on automated factories? Did he somehow use them to get back at the South for “stealing” his invention?

 

Did Whitney really invent the Cotton Gin? - An interesting essay found on the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute. Did Whitney invent the cotton gin, or did he “borrow” from ideas that already existed? There are at least 4 claims to the gin’s invention. Make sure you read the essay “Why A Plantation” to help you understand what Europeans thought about the Black slaves. This mentality helped shape the U.S. Government’s definition of what a slave really is, “property” rather than human.

 

Schoolnet.co.uk - The cotton industry developed in three main British districts: Manchester, Nottingham, and the Clyde Valley in Scotland. This web site details how much cotton was imported and exported to/from England from the early 1700s to 1800. Various sources cite various amounts. I used the American web sites as my source material.

Additional Internet Sources:

Manchester and the Cotton Industry - Very informative, discusses the impact American and Japanese cotton booms made British manufacturers realize that they were losing business to these two countries. Cheap labor costs and the closeness to source material made American and Japanese cotton farmers more profit and the British more and more dependent upon importation. Their reluctance in upgrading their machines and develop new business practices only added to the despair.

 

The official Eli Whitney Museum Online - A showcase of the inventor’s life including exhibits, a catalog, a virtual museum, a picture gallery, and links to other inventor’s websites. Very interesting!

 

Amazon.com - A place to look for and purchase books about Eli Whitney. If you ever have to do a report and need to find source material, this is the place to look. They make recommendations for other readings.

 

Darex Website - A place for inventors to buy their “toys”. Has an article comparing the British and American machinery inventors (including Whitney), discussing how both countries provided the world with the Industrial Revolution.

Evaluating Web sites:

What do you think about the websites used as sources? Did you find them informative about the subject? What would you do different had you written this information paper? Do you think it makes a difference if a well-known company such as the BBC, PBS, Smithsonian Institute, or the National Museum of American History rather than a lesser-known establishment maintains the site? Can you find anything that was inaccurate in one of these sites that would throw the whole idea away? Would it make your opinion differ if the sites were maintained on a regular, occurring basis? Do you think History is proven wrong that often?

 

Print Sources:

 

 

Last update November 2001