Eli Whitney Invents the Cotton Gin

Agenda • EQ: What political, social, and economic factors caused the division between the

North and South?

Warm-Up: What were some of the main crops grown in the South?

MLQ: How can we learn about effects of the Cotton Gin on Southern society by reading for information?

Vocabulary Tedious: Tiresome by reason of length, slownessInnovation: The act of introducing something new Reading and grading DBQ can be a tedious job. The IPAD was one of the greatest innovations of the 21st century.

Work period: Students will:1) In your group read tiered passage2) Answer tiered questions

Share: Share answers Closing: Summary of lesson

H.W. What were four advantages of cotton as a crop? What problem did the Cotton Gin solve? What effect do you think the Cotton Gin had on the demand for slave labor?

• Eli Whitney, a young man from Massachusetts, listened politely to the Georgia planters’ complaints. Tobacco prices were low, and rice and indigo prices weren’t much better.

Distribution of Slave Distribution of Slave Labor in 1850Labor in 1850

Distribution of Slave Distribution of Slave Labor in 1850Labor in 1850

• Cotton grew well, but cleaning the seeds out of cotton fibers was a big problem.

• A slave picking out seeds by hand could clean only a few pounds a day.

• At that rate, even using cheap slave labor, there was no profit in raising cotton.

• Unless something changed, the future of farming in the South looked bleak.

““Hauling the Whole Hauling the Whole Week’s Pickings”Week’s Pickings”

William Henry Brown, William Henry Brown, 18421842

““Hauling the Whole Hauling the Whole Week’s Pickings”Week’s Pickings”

William Henry Brown, William Henry Brown, 18421842

• As the planters talked about their problems with cotton production, a solution to their problem began to take shape in Whitney's head.

• Within months he had created the cotton gin, an invention that allowed raw cotton to pass through narrow slits in a piece of wood, pulling the cotton fibers through but leaving the seeds behind.

• A small gin could be hand-cranked; larger versions could be harnessed to a horse or driven by water power.

• "One man and a horse will do more than fifty men with the old machines," wrote Whitney to his father. . . . "Tis generally said by those who know anything about it, that I shall make a fortune by it."

Cotton Gin

Slaves Using the Cotton Slaves Using the Cotton GinGin

Slaves Using the Cotton Slaves Using the Cotton GinGin

Changes in Cotton Changes in Cotton ProductionProduction

Changes in Cotton Changes in Cotton ProductionProduction

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American Cotton Production

• Thanks to his invention, cotton production in the U.S. skyrocketed from 1.5 million pounds in 1790 to 85 million pounds in 1810. 0

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1790 1810

cotton

• But in the end, Whitney made virtually nothing from his invention. Others copied his invention and he was left virtually penniless.

Work Period• Each group read tiered level passage

Answer the question located on the back of your worksheets. Then answer one of the following skill based question depending on your group

Skilled Task Questions

Main Idea- What is the main idea of the reading passage and list important details or facts as evidence

Vocabulary- Find two vocabulary words in the passage that you had difficulty with and use context clues to help define the words and write a sentence using those words.

Cause and Effect- What were two causes that lead to the invention of the Cotton Gin? What was effect on slavery, the economy, and society.