Cotton Farming Before and After the Industrial Revolution, Research Paper Example

Technologies have greatly improved the way that we conduct our daily lives. The car has allowed us to commute to faraway places, computers allow us to research information with the click of a button, and air conditioning allows us to remain comfortable. The Industrial Revolution is responsible for a majority of the modern advances that make life comfortable today. In particular, the Industrial Revolution facilitated a major shift to cities, which required helped bring about many new ideas. During this time period, new technologies were needed to help accommodate larger populations living in one location. However, the cotton gin is the most significant invention that was created during the Industrial Revolution because it contributed to more effective farming methodology. The mass production of cotton allowed factories to begin making clothes to support the growing population. In addition, the availability of cotton allowed individuals living in the cities to have more jobs in factories, allowing for economy growth. Understanding the development and contribution of the cotton gin can allow us to determine how further inventions were made to revolutionize farming today.

Eli Whitney is the individual that is best known for the invention of the cotton gin. While he started out as a lawyer, he left his practice to work in a secret farming workshop where he developed the cotton gin. The purpose of the cotton gin is to quickly remove seeds from cotton to allow this product to be collected more quickly and cleaned more efficiently. He created both a small and large version of the technology to accommodate different seed yields, depending on size of the farmer’s operations. In a letter to his father, Whitney explains, “One man and a horse will do more than fifty men with the old machines”². Thus, Whitney recognized the significance of his invention immediately. The cotton gin is a mark of progress because such technology related change is needed to support a growing population. Whitney continues to explain that he will make a fortunate on this invention, producing additional rationale for its creation. In “Inventing the Cotton Gin” by Angela Lakwete, Lawkete explains that Whitney’s invention made life in the cities easier because of the enhanced access that these individuals would have to farm goods^3. During the Industrial Revolution many people moved from farms to cities for the first time due to the promise of an easier life. Inventions such as the cotton gin made it possible for a small amount of farmers to accommodate the needs of individuals living away from these farms. This increased accessibility made life away from farms possible for one of the first times in history. Overall, Whitney’s cotton gin invention made it easier to farm, in a way that was not possible during the Industrial Revolution.

The cotton gin has changed the context of history. Modern inventions have derived from the cotton gin and similar ideas that were created during the Industrial Revolution. According to “Steven Caney’s Invention Book”, a majority of inventions have arisen from a series of observations. For example, the cotton gin arose from the need to farm cotton more quickly and safely. Farm hands would regularly prick their fingers on the sharp seeds contained within the cotton, a necessary process before its use¹. “Weird and Wacky Inventions” features Whitney’s cotton gin as a fortunate occurrence⁴. Because Eli Whitney was a well-educated individual, he was able to culminate his knowledge of science and law to create an invention that is still used, in essence today. Whitney’s machine encouraged further technological advancement because his invention has been made in many sizes today. Furthermore, there are both mechanical and automated versions of the equipment to help meet the needs and budgets of different farmers.

Whitney’s invention contributes to the sense of a need for improvement that many Americans feel. In “Birth of American Technology”, Constance Green explains how important early inventions contribute to the development of technology in America and across the world⁵. These early ideas serve as a basis for our future knowledge that allows us to improve upon already existing ideas. Not only do farmers use more refined and advanced versions of the cotton gin today, they also use many other automated applications that help them receive a greater yield from their land and need to invest less money to do so. The invention of the cotton gin led to additional farming revolutions to accommodate crop growth for a larger population. As the population continues to increase, there will be a growing need for technology to advance to support the population.

In conclusion, it is apparent that Whitney’s invention contributed to the evolution of technology and possibly inspired inventors to create some of the items that we use today. It is beneficial to determine how technological changes have improved our lifestyle and whether it is realistic to continue making these changes. The concept of the cotton gin has given birth to the concept that many new technologies can be developed to support the growing population. Furthermore, automation of previous farming techniques is the easiest way to revolutionize farming and life in the cities. However, it is also important to consider whether ultimately, there is a point at which these advancements begin to become detrimental to our society. Technology is beneficial and important to understand, but it is interesting to consider the impact that it has on workers. Specifically, it would be interesting to evaluate whether the cotton gin improved or reduced the amount of jobs available for people living in cities and rural areas during and following the Industrial Revolution to examine the continued impact that such technology has on society.

Bibliography

Caney, Steven. Steven Caney’s Invention Book. New York: Workman Publishers, 1985.

Green, Constance M. Eli Whitney and the Birth of American Technology. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley Educational Publishers, 1965.

Lawkete, Angela. Inventing the Cotton Gin. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.

Murphy, Jim. Weird and Wacky Inventions. New York: Crown Publishers, 1978.

Schur, Joan Broadsky. “Teaching With Documents: Eli Whitney’s Patent for the Cotton Gin”. 2015. Accessed November 2, 2015. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/cotton-gin-patent/