The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for kids - Eli Whitney
The Eli Whitney Cotton Gin was a simple but highly effective
invention. Eli Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts on
December 8th, 1765. He was raised in New England, graduated from
Yale University and had every intention of starting a career as a
lawyer. However, all of this changed because he first had to earn
some money to clear the debts that had accumulated whilst he was
studying. Eli Whitney therefore assumed the position of private
tutor to the children of General Greene and his wife Mrs. Catherine
Greene on their farm in Georgia. He had never even seen a cotton ball until
point.
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for kids - The Problem
Eli Whitney
was keen to impress General Greene and learnt about the way the
Southern Plantations worked. He learnt that there were two types of
cotton. The Long-staple variety was easy to separate from its seeds
but it could be grown only along the coastal areas. The only variety
that grew inland had sticky green seeds and it was extremely time
consuming to pick the seeds out of the fluffy white cotton bolls.
The shrubby plants produced white flowers, followed by small green
seedpods (called cotton bolls), which contained the seeds. Cotton is
harvested when the bolls open and the arduous task of cleaning the
cotton began.
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for kids - The Invention
General
Greene suggested to Eli that he might be able to develop a machine
that would clean the bolls more quickly and efficiently. Eli Whitney
wanted to help the Greene family and the Southern planters but he
also realized that if he was able to invent such a machine, he could
apply to the federal government for a patent and make a handsome
profit in the process. He put his mind to the task, whilst carrying
out his duties as a tutor, and produced working model within six
months. The invention of the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin allowed the
sticky seeds to be removed mechanically from the fibers. De-seeded
cotton is cleaned, carded (fibers aligned), spun, and woven into a
fabric leaving a smooth piece of cotton fabric.
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for kids
Cotton was
easy to grow but because it was so difficult to clean,
the new machine made the process quicker and easier.
How does the
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin work?
● The cotton bolls was
put into the top of the machine across the roller
● The
handle turned the cotton through the wire teeth that
combed out the seeds
● The cotton was then
pulled out of the wire teeth and out of the cotton
gin
The Eli Whitney Cotton Gin separated the fibers from the
seed ten times faster that the slaves could do by hand.
One slave could clean 100 pounds of cotton in a day.
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for kids - The Patent
Eli Whitney
made the final finishing touches to his machine and applied for a
patent it on March 14th, 1794.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 , the Constitution empowers
Congress "To promote the progress of science and useful arts by
securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive
right to their respective writings and discoveries." The Patent Bill
of 1790 enabled the new government to patent "any useful art,
manufacture, engine, machine, or device, or any instrument thereon
not before known or used." and the Patent Act of 1793 was the law
that enabled the secretary of state to issue a patent to anyone who
presented working drawings, a written description, a model, and paid
an application fee. Eli Whitney applied for the patent for his
machine and the long wait from March 14th, 1794 began. He would not
receive the patent until 1807.
Eli Whitney Cotton
Gin for kids
The info about the
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin provides interesting facts and
important information about this important event that occured during the presidency of the
1st President of the United States of America. Read these articles to learn
about Samuel Slater & the Cotton Mills
and the
Cyrus McCormick Mechanical Reaper.
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin - Phineas Miller
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
was an amazing invention and vast
profits could be made by farmers by using the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
that automated the seed separation process. Eli Whitney went into
business with Phineas Miller. Cotton had been made easier to clean
and as it grew so easily it became the number one cash crop in the
South. Farms in the South turned the plantation system of farming in
the early 1800's. The term 'cash crops' related to surplus products
that were sold for profit in distant markets. Eli Whitney and
Phineas Miller began to manufacture many Eli Whitney Cotton Gins and
installed them throughout Georgia and the southern states. They
charged farmers an unusually high fee, two-fifths of the profit
paid, for doing the 'ginning'.
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin - The Copies
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin was amazing but the farmers were
highly resentful of the
exorbitant rates that were charged to use the machines. The
invention was not difficult to copy. The patent had not yet been
granted so inevitably copies of the invention were made. The
partners eventually agreed to license gins at a reasonable price.
The
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for kids - Impact on Slavery
The
invention of the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
had a huge impact on slavery in the Southern states. It meant that
another highly profitable cash crop could be introduced, using the
slave plantation system of farming. One of the main reasons for the
re-invigoration of slavery was the invention and rapid widespread
adoption of the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin.
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin - President George Washington Video
The article on the
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin provides an overview of one of the Important
inventions during the presidency of
George Washington. For additional info refer to
Facts on Industrial Revolution Inventions. The following video will give you additional important facts, history and dates about the political events experienced by the 1st
American President whose presidency spanned from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797.
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
●
Interesting Facts about the
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for kids and schools
● The patent for the
Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
● One of the Important
events of the era
●
George Washington Presidency from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797
●
Fast, interesting facts about the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President George Washington
● George Washington Presidency and
the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin for schools,
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