How the Cotton Gin Saved the South and Slavery

In the late 18th century, the only variety of cotton that could grow on southern inland farms was one that produced sticky green seeds, which resulted in a labor intensive system whereby the seeds had to be handpicked from the cotton balls. This physical labor style seed removal process was time consuming. As a result, the cotton industry for these farmers was on the brink of economic disaster. Since the tobacco industry during this time period was declining do to surplus production and soil exhaustion, it was vital that these southern colonial farmers find a sollution to their cotton problem. Even though the slave labor itself was free, slaves had to be purchased, clothed, fed, and given shelter, which added to the farmers' overhead.



The primary source is Eli Whitney's patent for his invention of the cotton gin. It tells us that late 18th century southern inland farmers had an agricultural problem with cotton, and the invention of the cotton gin was a viable solution. Furthermore, it reveals that Whitney was trying to make money from his invention. According to an article in Teaching with Documents, "Whitney knew that if he could invent such a machine, he could apply to the federal government for a patent. If granted, he would have exclusive rights to his invention for 14 years, and he could hope to reap a handsome profit from it." If benevolence was Whitney's primary motive, he would have published the instuctions on how to build his cotton gin and distributed them to all southern farmers. In a letter to his father in regard to his invention, Whitney writes, "Tis generally said by those who know anything about it, that I shall make a fortune by it."



Whitney learned of the necessity for a machine that could separate the sticky green seeds from the cotton from a widow woman named Katherine Greene. According to the online publication Inventor of the Week, "Greene invited him to stay at her plantation, Mulbery Grove, in Georgia where she thought he might make himself useful." As a mechanical engineer and Yale graduate, Whitney was more than up to the task. Within a short period of time, he disigned and built a working model of his cotton gin. It was made out of wood and metal. Inventor Profile states, "After perfecting his machine, he filed an application for a patent on June 20, 1793; in February 1794 he deposited a model at the Patent Office, and on March 14, 1794 he received his patent."



Information about patent legislation is outlined in an article through the national archives, which states, The Patent Bill of 1790 enabled the government to patent any useful art, manufacture, engine, machine, or device, or any instrument then no before known or used. Whitney's cotton gin was a mechanical divice. The Patent Act of 1793 gave the secretary of state the power to issue a patent to anyone who presented working drawings, a written description, a model, and paid an application fee.



However, the article further states, "patenting an invention and making a profit from it are two different things." Whitney and his partner planned to charge the southern inland colonial farmers two fifthe of the profit paid to them in cotton. The desperate farmers resorted to implementing pirated versions of Whitney's design. Despite costly lawsuits that devoured their capital against these farmers, by 1797, Whitney's company was out of business. Congress rejected his renewal for patent in 1812. In Whitney's words upon leaving the south forever in 1804, "An invention can be so valuable as to be worthless to the inventor."



Although Whitney never realized his fortune for inventing the cotton gin, the cotton gin saved the south's economy and its investment in slavery. Whitney's invention worked and worked well. It solved the sticky green seed problem for the southern colonial farmers. That being the case, more farmers wanted to plant this lucrative crop. More cotton meant more slaves were needed to plant, grow, harvest, and gin it. In addition to an increase in slave labor, an increase in land was needed to grow it. As a result, eight more slave states were added bringing the total to 15 slave states by 1860.



Sources:

www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=14#


http://www.archives.gov/



http://www.mit.edu/



http://www.wikipedia.org/