14 marzo 1794 anni - Cotton Gin Invented

Descrizione:

The cotton gin, patented by American-born born inventor Eli Whitney in 1794, revolutionized the cotton industry by greatly speeding up the tedious process of removing seeds and husks from cotton fiber.

By midcentury America was growing three-quarters of the world's supply of cotton, most of it shipped to England or New England where it was manufactured into cloth. During this time tobacco fell in value, rice exports at best stayed steady, and sugar began to thrive, but only in Louisiana. At midcentury the South provided three-fifths of America's exports -- most of it in cotton.

While it was true that the cotton gin reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves to grow and pick the cotton. In fact, the opposite occurred. Cotton growing became so profitable for the planters that it greatly increased their demand for both land and slave labor.

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