Whitney's Cotton Gin

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Illustration

Mark Cartwright
by Tom Murphy VII
published on 17 April 2023
Whitney's Cotton Gin Download Full Size Image

A cotton gin (machine), invented by Eli Whitney (1765-1825) in the United States in 1794 during the Industrial Revolution. The machine was used to clean raw cotton and separate it from sticky seeds by pulling the cotton balls through a comb mesh and mechanism of revolving metal teeth and hooks. The machine greatly speeded up cotton production for spinning machines since a single cotton gin could process up to 25 kg (55 lbs) of cotton every day. Another consequence was the increased use of slaves to pick sufficient cotton to feed the gins.

Eli Whitney Museum, Hamden, Connecticut, USA

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Cite This Work

APA Style

VII, T. M. (2023, April 17). Whitney's Cotton Gin. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17296/whitneys-cotton-gin/

Chicago Style

VII, Tom Murphy. "Whitney's Cotton Gin." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 17, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17296/whitneys-cotton-gin/.

MLA Style

VII, Tom Murphy. "Whitney's Cotton Gin." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 17 Apr 2023. Web. 13 Dec 2024.

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