Eli Whitney
Definition
Eli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This key invention played a significant role in shaping the Southern economy of the United States.
Analogy
Think of Eli Whitney as a software developer who creates an app that revolutionizes how we use our smartphones. Just like this app changes our daily lives, Whitney's cotton gin drastically changed the agricultural industry by making it easier to separate cotton seeds from their fibers.
Related terms
Industrial Revolution: A period from 1750 to 1850 where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions starting in the United Kingdom, then subsequently spreading throughout Europe.
Cotton Gin: A machine invented by Eli Whitney that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.
Slavery: The state of being under the control of someone where a person (the slave) is forced to work for another (the master). The invention of Cotton Gin increased the demand for slaves in Southern America.
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