The impact of Eli Whitney and his Cotton Gins combined with slavery on Southern Cotton Production
Description of the topic:
Agriculture in the South is different from other regions because it is possible to grow crops in large scales with the benefit that the cost of slaves is relatively low than hired labor. The agricultural production in the South is mainly focused on crops such as cotton, tobacco and sugar. One thing that boosted the cotton production is the invention of the cotton gin combined with the use of slavery in the South. The combination of slaves and the cotton gin acts as a catalyst to improve the overall production of cotton in the South.
Rationale and significance:
At the time when the South was backwards and lacked of economic motives, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which saved the Southern economy. The invention of cotton gin is important because innovative ideas are always appreciated especially at the time when revolution needed to be initiated; it not only had a positive effect on the production of cotton, but also helped the Southern government. Furthermore, slavery issue became a controversial topic when people started to argue for human rights. They argue that slaves were traded as commodities and they had no freedom. I agree with the idea that treating people as slaves is wrong because human rights are stifled. Nevertheless, there were actually some advantages to using slaves in the South and I want to talk about the impact of the combination of the cotton gin and slavery on the Southern cotton economy to argue that it acted as a catalyst on the production of cotton. This topic attracted me because it shows the old invention and that slavery is a double-edged sword, although it brings a negative side such as it stifled slaves’ rights, it boosts the economy as a whole.
Research questions:
When I looked at the resources on the Internet, I found a scholarly monograph named Times on the cross: The economics of American Negro Slavery. Written by economists Robert William Fogel and Stanley L. Engerman, the book holds the opinion that slavery had benefits to Americans. For example, “slave agriculture was not inefficient compared with free agriculture and southern slave agriculture is 35 percent more efficient than the northern system of family farming” (Robert, Stanley, 3). It would be important for the society to study the effect of past events because only by knowing the cause and effect of the things in the past thoroughly, can we make betterments in the future. The author suggested that an economy based on slavery works more efficiently than smaller groups of specialized people because cotton growth is based on larger scales. Moreover, when I learned about the Southern culture and history of the South I often questioned why the Southern economy is considered to be backwards. Is it really the reason that the South is based on plantations and the North is on manufacturing? My interest in how the invention of the cotton gin had restored the economic situations in the South also plays an important role in deciding the topic I am going to work on.
Tentative organizations:
The essay will be divided into three parts. First of all, I will briefly describe the South and why the Southern economy at the time was primarily based on plantations such as cotton.
Secondly, in order to have a good understanding of how slavery in the South plays a key role in combining with the cotton gin and the effects on the Southern cotton economy, one has to know what slavery is. I will write a small paragraph to take a closer look at slavery in the South: what the definition of slavery is, what kind of things slaves actually did during such periods and how people react to slavery.
Thirdly, I will talk about the main part of the paper, which is Eli Whitney, who is best known for inventing the cotton gin and made a great contribution to the production of cotton. First I will make an introduction of Eli Whitney, and explain what a cotton gin is. A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separate cotton fibers from their seeds, allowing for much greater productivity than manual cotton separation (Roe Joseph Wickham). Then I will relate this machine to the production of cotton in terms of slavery. This machine made upland short cotton into a profitable crop which strengthens the economic foundation of slavery in the Southern part of the U.S. (Elms, Magnolias). The cotton gin enabled short staple cotton to be separated on a competitive commercial basis by mechanical means. The increasing demand for cotton from European countries and the northern regions lead the price of cotton to increase sharply. The family who owned slaves could make more money by producing larger amount of cotton. As a result, they could buy more land and slaves to increase the production of cotton even further. Surprisingly, the cotton gin, a labor-saving machine, helped preserve slavery in the U.S. agriculture economy. Before 1790s, neither of the production was profitable due to the difficulties of removing the seeds. After the invention of the cotton gin, growing cotton with slaves became highly profitable and became the dominant of the Southern society (Eli).
In the conclusion, I will restate my point by stating solid evidences such as statistical results showing the cotton production actually increasing: From 1820 to 1860, cotton output rose by a factor of 11.5, the slave population by 2.5, and output per slave by a factor of 4.6 (Thomas, 14). Cotton in the South took over the majority of the country’s total exports and the government could use the money to pay for the country’s imports. All of these evidences show that the appearance of cotton gin and slavery in the Southern society created a positive impact on the cotton economy.
Secondly, in order to have a good understanding of how slavery in the South plays a key role in combining with the cotton gin and the effects on the Southern cotton economy, one has to know what slavery is. I will write a small paragraph to take a closer look at slavery in the South: what the definition of slavery is, what kind of things slaves actually did during such periods and how people react to slavery.
Thirdly, I will talk about the main part of the paper, which is Eli Whitney, who is best known for inventing the cotton gin and made a great contribution to the production of cotton. First I will make an introduction of Eli Whitney, and explain what a cotton gin is. A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separate cotton fibers from their seeds, allowing for much greater productivity than manual cotton separation (Roe Joseph Wickham). Then I will relate this machine to the production of cotton in terms of slavery. This machine made upland short cotton into a profitable crop which strengthens the economic foundation of slavery in the Southern part of the U.S. (Elms, Magnolias). The cotton gin enabled short staple cotton to be separated on a competitive commercial basis by mechanical means. The increasing demand for cotton from European countries and the northern regions lead the price of cotton to increase sharply. The family who owned slaves could make more money by producing larger amount of cotton. As a result, they could buy more land and slaves to increase the production of cotton even further. Surprisingly, the cotton gin, a labor-saving machine, helped preserve slavery in the U.S. agriculture economy. Before 1790s, neither of the production was profitable due to the difficulties of removing the seeds. After the invention of the cotton gin, growing cotton with slaves became highly profitable and became the dominant of the Southern society (Eli).
In the conclusion, I will restate my point by stating solid evidences such as statistical results showing the cotton production actually increasing: From 1820 to 1860, cotton output rose by a factor of 11.5, the slave population by 2.5, and output per slave by a factor of 4.6 (Thomas, 14). Cotton in the South took over the majority of the country’s total exports and the government could use the money to pay for the country’s imports. All of these evidences show that the appearance of cotton gin and slavery in the Southern society created a positive impact on the cotton economy.
Annotated bibliography:
Engerman, Stanley. "Times on the cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery." New York W.W Norton and Company, 20 00009 2013. Web. 16 Oct 2013.
The sources suggest that the slavery in the Southern region had a positive impact on the commercial agriculture and increased the productivity of cotton. The book states facts in economic basis. I choose to use the resource that corresponds to my point of view and these resources are well structured and easy to understand.
Laura, Brace. "Labour, Freedom and Belonging." Edinburgh University. (2012): 162. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
This source states the definition of slavery, which is basically trading people as commodities. It is an anthropological resource, and I think it can provide people with a good understanding of what slavery was during the past times.
Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance (U.S. Department of the Treasury). 1895-1896:290.
Joseph, Wickham. "English and American Tool Builders." Yale University. (1926): n. page. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
These two sources primarily talk about the cotton gin, which was a machine invented by Eli Whitney and used to increase the production of cotton. As a result, there were more exports of cotton and took up the majority of the total exports. I chose to use this source because it clearly states all the aspects of the cotton gin.
Whaples, R. "Where is There Consensus American Economic Historians. The Results of a survey on Forty Proposition." Journal of Economic History. 139-154. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
The source suggests slaves are relatively cheap in price and they are more profitable than indentured servants, and it is written from an economic prospective. I chose it because it contains statistical evidence that will more likely to persuade people the idea that using slavery actually helped the cotton economy.
The sources suggest that the slavery in the Southern region had a positive impact on the commercial agriculture and increased the productivity of cotton. The book states facts in economic basis. I choose to use the resource that corresponds to my point of view and these resources are well structured and easy to understand.
Laura, Brace. "Labour, Freedom and Belonging." Edinburgh University. (2012): 162. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
This source states the definition of slavery, which is basically trading people as commodities. It is an anthropological resource, and I think it can provide people with a good understanding of what slavery was during the past times.
Monthly Summary of Commerce and Finance (U.S. Department of the Treasury). 1895-1896:290.
Joseph, Wickham. "English and American Tool Builders." Yale University. (1926): n. page. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
These two sources primarily talk about the cotton gin, which was a machine invented by Eli Whitney and used to increase the production of cotton. As a result, there were more exports of cotton and took up the majority of the total exports. I chose to use this source because it clearly states all the aspects of the cotton gin.
Whaples, R. "Where is There Consensus American Economic Historians. The Results of a survey on Forty Proposition." Journal of Economic History. 139-154. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
The source suggests slaves are relatively cheap in price and they are more profitable than indentured servants, and it is written from an economic prospective. I chose it because it contains statistical evidence that will more likely to persuade people the idea that using slavery actually helped the cotton economy.