The Cotton Gin is Introduced

Eli Whitney, a young New Englander, invented a cotton "gin," which automatically cleaned cotton. This transformed the Southern economy, making cotton "king" and greatly increasing the need for slaves.

The introduction of the Cotton Gin had a major impact on the United States beyond direct impact of the invention itself. When both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written, the authors sidestepped the issue of slavery. The general view was that it was an institution of slavery that would eventual end.Ê The cotton gin changed that. The cotton gin separates cotton fibers from the seedpods. The gin thus made the production of cotton much more efficient. This improved the economics of the production of cotton. It increased the demand for slaves as the more cotton that was produced the more slaves were needed. As a result instead of slavery slowly disappearing slaves became an ever more important asset.Ê