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Cotton gin demonstration model
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Invented by Eli Whitney and patented on March 14,
1794, the cotton gin was intended to be a labor-saving
device that removed the seeds from the cotton. It
worked so well that planters grew more cotton on
more land, which increased the need for slave labor.
Because Southern planters refused to pay for its
use, coupled with the fact that the cotton gin was
easy to replicate, Whitney never made any money
on his invention. |
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Division of Social History, Textiles
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Behring Center
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