The Cotton Gin
Published on Nov 19, 2015
No Description
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
HISTORY
- Cotton was a very large and prominent commodity in the U.S.
- Cotton fibers were interspersed with the seeds of the plant
- Separation historically done by hand (hundreds of man-hours)
- Simple separation devices invented over the years (small scale)
- Earliest versions - single roller and flat stone or wood
ELI WHITNEY
HAS A COTTON-PICKIN' GOOD IDEA
OFFICIAL PATENTED COTTON GIN
ELI WHITNEY PATENTS FIRST MECHANICAL GIN - MARCH 14, 1794
TIMELINE
- 400s AD: First documentation of single-roller in India
- 1100-1400 AD: Dual-roller gins appear in India and China
- 1500s AD: Water-powered gins become prevalent in the Mediterranean
- March 14, 1793: Whitney's patent is granted
- 1807: Cotton gin patent is verified
Photo by Old Shoe Woman
SO WHAT IS IT?
Eli Whitney's modern cotton gin design consisted of a wooden cylinder surrounded by thin spikes. These spikes pulled the lint through a toothed, comb-like section that was the key component in separating the seeds from the cotton. His machine was able to clean 50 pounds of lint every day.
IMPACT AND EFFECTS
- Cotton became a hugely profitable business
- New Orleans, Charleston, and Galveston became major ports
- Improved machine designs and machine tools
- U.S. supplied two-thirds of the world's cotton
- Historians call it the beginning of the Industrial Revolution
Photo by USDAgov
