|
| Home eBooks Audio Books Lit Arts Language Pre-K Free ESL Resources Online Games Book of the Day Game of the Day |
| Alphabet Animals Colour & Concepts Family Numbers Nursery Rhymes Story Time Puzzles Scrapbooking Crafts Disney |
Home
About
Activities
Africa
Alphabet
Bible
Colour & Activity
Contact
Crafts
Curriculum
Calendar
Dolch Words
Freebies
Gallery
Games
Health
Homeschooling
Kids Fun Pages
Language
Links
Maths
Menus4Moms
Nursery Rhymes
Parents
Phonics
Pre-K
Services
Site Map
South Africa
Spelling
Surfnet Kids
Teens
Themes
WAHM
About
Activities
Africa
Alphabet
Bible
Colour & Activity
Contact
Crafts
Curriculum
Calendar
Dolch Words
Freebies
Gallery
Games
Health
Homeschooling
Kids Fun Pages
Language
Links
Maths
Menus4Moms
Nursery Rhymes
Parents
Phonics
Pre-K
Services
Site Map
South Africa
Spelling
Surfnet Kids
Teens
Themes
WAHM
| Cotton Gin Eli Whitney |
Downloads:
Teacher's Guide Eli Whitney & the Cotton Gin
Click here to see a Quicktime video of a roller gin demonstration from the Smithsonian's
Hands-On-History Room.
Eli Whitney, the Cotton Gin and Early Cotton Manufacturing : Fact File & Intensive Student
Activity PDF
A Cotton Gin (short for cotton engine) is a machine that quickly and easily separates the
cotton fibers from the seedpods and the sometimes sticky seeds, a job previously done by
workers. These seeds are either used again to grow more cotton or, if badly damaged, are
disposed of. It uses a combination of a wire screen and small wire hooks to pull the cotton
through the screen, while brushes continuously remove the loose cotton lint to prevent jams.
The term "gin" is an abbreviation for engine, and means "machine". Eli Whitney also had the
idea for interchangable parts which was later implemented by weapons manufacturers and
industry at large.
Invention
According to Joseph Needham, a precursor to the cotton gin known as a charkhi was already
present in India. The charkhi had two elongated worms that turned its rollers in opposite
directions. The Indian churka was effective at separating seeds from the varieties of cotton
grown there, and possibly for some of the long staple, Sea Island cotton (Gossypium
barbadense), but was inadequate for processing the short staple, green seed cotton
(Gossypium hirsutum) cultivated in upper South Carolina and Georgia.
The modern cotton gin was later created by the American inventor Eli Whitney in 1792 to
mechanize the production of cotton seeds. The invention was granted a patent on March 14,
1794. The gin was credited for increasing assets in the American jobs.
There is slight controversy over whether the idea of the cotton gin and its constituent
elements are correctly attributed to Eli Whitney. The popular version of Whitney inventing the
cotton gin is attributed to an article on the subject in the early 1870s and later reprinted in
1910 in the The Library of Southern Literature. In this article Andrews mentioned how
Catherine Littlefield Greene suggested to Whitney the use of a brush-like component
instrumental to separate out the seeds and cotton. Historians later explored this idea, and
some consider that Catherine Littlefield Greene, Whitney's landlady, should be credited with
the invention of the cotton gin, or at least with the original concept. Women were not eligible to
receive patents in the early U.S., and Greene may have asked Whitney to obtain it for her.
Patent office records also indicate that the first cotton gin may have been built by a machinist
named Sean Paul two years before Whitney's patent was filed. Joseph Watkins, who resided
near Petersburg, Georgia is credited by many historians as the first inventor of the cotton gin,
and was using it on his plantation when he was visited by the frustrated Eli Whitney, who on
seeing it went back to Savannah and soon developed his model which he patented. Watkins
was urged to sue Whitney, but had no desire to engage in a controversy and never asserted
his claim. Watkins was a planter of large means, who pursued the study and application of
mechanics more for amusement than profit. While the Watkins story had some romantic
adherents, and still others have credited Hodgson Holmes, later publication of certain of
Whitney's papers, including letters to his family during the invention process, showed the
claims to be lacking foundation.
Many people attempted to develop a design that would process short staple cotton and
Holmes was indeed issued a patent for an "Improvement in the Cotton Gin". However, the
evidence indicates that Whitney did invent the saw gin, for which he's famous. Although he
spent many years in court attempting to enforce his patent against planters who made
unauthorized copies, a change in patent law ultimately made his claim legally enforceable—
too late for him to make much money off of the device in the single year remaining before
patent expiration.
About Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825) was an American inventor best known as
the inventor of the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the industrial revolution
and shaped the economy of the antebellum South. Whitney's invention made short staple
cotton into a profitable crop, which strengthened the economic foundation of slavery. Despite
the social and economic impact of his invention, Whitney lost his profits in legal battles over
patent infringement, closed his business, and nearly filed bankruptcy.
Afterward Whitney became a firearms manufacturer who supplied muskets to the United
States government. He spent the remainder of his career promoting the idea of
interchangeable parts for the manufacture of firearms. Although he wasn't the first to propose
the concept of interchangeable parts and never developed a working system of
interchangeable parts, he popularized the idea as a useful manufacturing concept. In order to
justify the sale price of his contracted firearms to the government he developed
improvements in cost accounting that included fixed costs that had gone overlooked in
federal estimates for price comparison.
Early life
Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts, on December 8, 1765, the eldest child of
Eli Whitney, a prosperous farmer and his mother, Elizabeth Fay of Westborough, who died
when he was 12. Very early in life he demonstrated his mechanical genius and
entrepreneurial acumen, operating a profitable nail manufacturing operation in his father's
workshop during the American Revolution. Because his stepmother opposed his wish to
attend college, Whitney worked as a farm laborer and schoolteacher to save money. He
prepared for Yale at Leicester Academy (now Becker College) and under the tutelage of Rev.
Elizur Goodrich of Durham, Connecticut he entered the Class of 1792.
Career inventions
Cotton gin
Eli Whitney was inspired to build the cotton gin by observing a cat attempting to pull a chicken
through a fence, and could only pull through some of the feathers.
A single cotton gin could generate up to fifty-five pounds of cleaned cotton daily. This
contributed to the economic development of the Southern states of the United States, a prime
cotton growing area; some historians believe that this invention allowed for the African slavery
system in the Southern United States to become more sustainable at a critical point in its
development.
Whitney received a patent (later numbered as X72) for his cotton gin on March 14, 1794;
however, it wasn't validated until 1807. Whitney and his partner Miller didn't intend to sell the
gins. Rather, like the proprietors of grist and sawmills, they expected to charge farmers for
cleaning their cotton - two-fifths of the profits, paid in cotton. Resentment at this scheme, the
mechanical simplicity of the device, and the primitive state of patent law, made infringement
inevitable. As Whitney and Miller were unable to produce enough gins to meet demand,
imitation gins began to spread. Ultimately, patent infringement lawsuits consumed the profits
and their cotton gin company went out of business in 1797.
While the cotton gin didn't earn Whitney the fortune he'd hoped for, it did give him fame and
the cotton gin transformed Southern agriculture and the national economy. Southern cotton
found ready markets in Europe and in the burgeoning textile mills of New England. Cotton
agriculture revived the profitability of slavery and the political power of supporters of the
South's "peculiar institution." By the 1820s, the dominant issues in American politics were
driven by "King Cotton": maintaining the political balance between slave and free states and
tariff protection for American industry. The cotton interests led the country into war with Mexico,
expecting a vast expansion of cotton agriculture
References & Credits
inventors.about.com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/eli_whitney_5.htm
www.Wikipedia.org
www.gutenberg.org
web.mit.edu/invent/iow/whitney.html
invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u2ei/u2materials/eiPac1.html
Teacher's Guide Eli Whitney & the Cotton Gin
Click here to see a Quicktime video of a roller gin demonstration from the Smithsonian's
Hands-On-History Room.
Eli Whitney, the Cotton Gin and Early Cotton Manufacturing : Fact File & Intensive Student
Activity PDF
A Cotton Gin (short for cotton engine) is a machine that quickly and easily separates the
cotton fibers from the seedpods and the sometimes sticky seeds, a job previously done by
workers. These seeds are either used again to grow more cotton or, if badly damaged, are
disposed of. It uses a combination of a wire screen and small wire hooks to pull the cotton
through the screen, while brushes continuously remove the loose cotton lint to prevent jams.
The term "gin" is an abbreviation for engine, and means "machine". Eli Whitney also had the
idea for interchangable parts which was later implemented by weapons manufacturers and
industry at large.
Invention
According to Joseph Needham, a precursor to the cotton gin known as a charkhi was already
present in India. The charkhi had two elongated worms that turned its rollers in opposite
directions. The Indian churka was effective at separating seeds from the varieties of cotton
grown there, and possibly for some of the long staple, Sea Island cotton (Gossypium
barbadense), but was inadequate for processing the short staple, green seed cotton
(Gossypium hirsutum) cultivated in upper South Carolina and Georgia.
The modern cotton gin was later created by the American inventor Eli Whitney in 1792 to
mechanize the production of cotton seeds. The invention was granted a patent on March 14,
1794. The gin was credited for increasing assets in the American jobs.
There is slight controversy over whether the idea of the cotton gin and its constituent
elements are correctly attributed to Eli Whitney. The popular version of Whitney inventing the
cotton gin is attributed to an article on the subject in the early 1870s and later reprinted in
1910 in the The Library of Southern Literature. In this article Andrews mentioned how
Catherine Littlefield Greene suggested to Whitney the use of a brush-like component
instrumental to separate out the seeds and cotton. Historians later explored this idea, and
some consider that Catherine Littlefield Greene, Whitney's landlady, should be credited with
the invention of the cotton gin, or at least with the original concept. Women were not eligible to
receive patents in the early U.S., and Greene may have asked Whitney to obtain it for her.
Patent office records also indicate that the first cotton gin may have been built by a machinist
named Sean Paul two years before Whitney's patent was filed. Joseph Watkins, who resided
near Petersburg, Georgia is credited by many historians as the first inventor of the cotton gin,
and was using it on his plantation when he was visited by the frustrated Eli Whitney, who on
seeing it went back to Savannah and soon developed his model which he patented. Watkins
was urged to sue Whitney, but had no desire to engage in a controversy and never asserted
his claim. Watkins was a planter of large means, who pursued the study and application of
mechanics more for amusement than profit. While the Watkins story had some romantic
adherents, and still others have credited Hodgson Holmes, later publication of certain of
Whitney's papers, including letters to his family during the invention process, showed the
claims to be lacking foundation.
Many people attempted to develop a design that would process short staple cotton and
Holmes was indeed issued a patent for an "Improvement in the Cotton Gin". However, the
evidence indicates that Whitney did invent the saw gin, for which he's famous. Although he
spent many years in court attempting to enforce his patent against planters who made
unauthorized copies, a change in patent law ultimately made his claim legally enforceable—
too late for him to make much money off of the device in the single year remaining before
patent expiration.
About Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825) was an American inventor best known as
the inventor of the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the industrial revolution
and shaped the economy of the antebellum South. Whitney's invention made short staple
cotton into a profitable crop, which strengthened the economic foundation of slavery. Despite
the social and economic impact of his invention, Whitney lost his profits in legal battles over
patent infringement, closed his business, and nearly filed bankruptcy.
Afterward Whitney became a firearms manufacturer who supplied muskets to the United
States government. He spent the remainder of his career promoting the idea of
interchangeable parts for the manufacture of firearms. Although he wasn't the first to propose
the concept of interchangeable parts and never developed a working system of
interchangeable parts, he popularized the idea as a useful manufacturing concept. In order to
justify the sale price of his contracted firearms to the government he developed
improvements in cost accounting that included fixed costs that had gone overlooked in
federal estimates for price comparison.
Early life
Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts, on December 8, 1765, the eldest child of
Eli Whitney, a prosperous farmer and his mother, Elizabeth Fay of Westborough, who died
when he was 12. Very early in life he demonstrated his mechanical genius and
entrepreneurial acumen, operating a profitable nail manufacturing operation in his father's
workshop during the American Revolution. Because his stepmother opposed his wish to
attend college, Whitney worked as a farm laborer and schoolteacher to save money. He
prepared for Yale at Leicester Academy (now Becker College) and under the tutelage of Rev.
Elizur Goodrich of Durham, Connecticut he entered the Class of 1792.
Career inventions
Cotton gin
Eli Whitney was inspired to build the cotton gin by observing a cat attempting to pull a chicken
through a fence, and could only pull through some of the feathers.
A single cotton gin could generate up to fifty-five pounds of cleaned cotton daily. This
contributed to the economic development of the Southern states of the United States, a prime
cotton growing area; some historians believe that this invention allowed for the African slavery
system in the Southern United States to become more sustainable at a critical point in its
development.
Whitney received a patent (later numbered as X72) for his cotton gin on March 14, 1794;
however, it wasn't validated until 1807. Whitney and his partner Miller didn't intend to sell the
gins. Rather, like the proprietors of grist and sawmills, they expected to charge farmers for
cleaning their cotton - two-fifths of the profits, paid in cotton. Resentment at this scheme, the
mechanical simplicity of the device, and the primitive state of patent law, made infringement
inevitable. As Whitney and Miller were unable to produce enough gins to meet demand,
imitation gins began to spread. Ultimately, patent infringement lawsuits consumed the profits
and their cotton gin company went out of business in 1797.
While the cotton gin didn't earn Whitney the fortune he'd hoped for, it did give him fame and
the cotton gin transformed Southern agriculture and the national economy. Southern cotton
found ready markets in Europe and in the burgeoning textile mills of New England. Cotton
agriculture revived the profitability of slavery and the political power of supporters of the
South's "peculiar institution." By the 1820s, the dominant issues in American politics were
driven by "King Cotton": maintaining the political balance between slave and free states and
tariff protection for American industry. The cotton interests led the country into war with Mexico,
expecting a vast expansion of cotton agriculture
References & Credits
inventors.about.com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/eli_whitney_5.htm
www.Wikipedia.org
www.gutenberg.org
web.mit.edu/invent/iow/whitney.html
invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u2ei/u2materials/eiPac1.html