American History

Running Head: AMERICAN HISTORY 1

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AMERICAN HISTORY

AMERICAN HISTORY

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It is a well-known fact that the topic of slavery has been nothing but a controversial subject throughout America’s history. Even in the Southern states, the argument of whether slavery is or isn’t an unnecessary evil has been tossed back and forth. So why not just abolish slavery in its entirety? Well, that would have meant the possibility of the “American Dream” being jeopardized, (U.S. National Archives, 2016). It wouldn’t be until Eli Whitney’s invention of the Cotton Gin that slavery would come to a rise again, because before this, slavery was on the decline with many anti-slavery activists rooting for its abolition, but this invention would change the lives of many slaves for the worst.

The Cotton Gin, developed in 1793 by Eli Whitney, was made to function as a tool that removed the seeds from cotton, to put it simply. This allowed for the production of cotton to be much more profitable, whereas in the past, it was considered a “luxury” to many because its production was far too time consuming. Every region throughout the United States will go through a moderate level of transition at some point in their history. These transitions will lead to a prompt that will ultimately result in a modification of national philosophies. The event may also be so large that it can change an entire nation’s ideological base. There were many of these events that shaped the Antebellum South and western expansion throughout history.

One of the most pivotal points in its lineage occurred in 1793 when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. The invention would go on to shape the United States in ways that Whitney, or anyone else, could have ever imagined. Eli Whitney is the inventor of the cotton gin. The cotton gin is a device that aids in the removal of seeds from cotton. The removal of the seeds from the cotton was previously performed by hand. However, with the mechanical advantage of the machine farmers could generate much more cotton. While this may seem like a simple invention, many would argue that it is one of the largest contributing factors to the Civil War. With his invention the slavery industry appeared to be rejuvenated. Many of the nation’s plantations dealt in a litany of other crops, such as tobacco, rice, and fruits. None of these crops, cotton included, were immensely, (Sheppard, 1869)

The lives of Southerners and slaves had been much different prior to this invention. Slavery was on the decline and many were even activists in the anti-slavery movement. Once the Cotton Gin came into play, however, people across the nation saw the possibility of profit and immediately because of the high demand for cotton the slavery rate also rose. It can be said that Eli Whitney’s development of the Cotton Gin is the primary reason for the expansion of slavery in the nineteenth century. Like mentioned before, slavery was beginning to be seen as “unnecessary” prior to this invention. Although cotton was already a very well-known crop by farmers it wasn’t known as a cash crop until the Cotton Gin came along. The demand for cotton turned into the need for slaves in order to keep up with production rates, which were at an all-time high, (Colton, 1855).

The lives that these slaves were forced to work was nothing short of miserable. They were obligated to work long, hot hours in the fields picking cotton and often would not even get the breaks they needed for food and water. When they did receive food, it was often only the leftover scraps of their masters. From 1790 to the Civil War, traders and planters from Alexandria and Richmond to Natchez and New Orleans speculated on cotton fever by orchestrating the forced migration of over one million men, women, and children from the Upper South to the Lower South (Seeley, 2016)

It is clear to see how such a simplistic invention was the key factor in the rise of slavery and just how big of an impact it truly had on the lives of slaves and Southerners alike. These slaves were forced to work in cruel conditions all for the profit of producing and manufacturing cotton in the United States, (Columbia Southern Education Group, 2016). It truly makes one question that if the Cotton Gin was never invented, could slavery had been abolished in the early nineteenth century? As most of us know, early in America’s history many relied on slave labor both in their homes and on their grounds. Doing everything from picking cotton, tending the fields and animals, to basic chores and raising children in the household. Many found nothing wrong with this way of life, and thought of the African American, and slaves of other races, to be property and not citizens.

References

Columbia Southern Education Group. (2016). Unit VII Study Guide: Western Expansion and the Antebellum South. Retrieved from https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/courses/General_Studies/HY/HY1110/17N/UnitVII.pdf?target=blank

Columbia Southern Education Group. (2016). Cotton is King: The Antebellum South, 1800–1860 Retrieved from https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/courses/General_Studies/HY/HY1110/17N/UnitVII_RequiredReading_USHistory.pdf

Colton, J. H. (1855). Kansas and Nebraska [Map]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kansas-Nebraska_Act.jpg

Sheppard, W. L. (1869, December 18). The first cotton gin [Illustration]. Harper’s Weekly, 813. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cotton_gin_harpers.jpg

U.S. National Archives. (2016). Covered wagon of the great western expansion, 1886 [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:00473_2003_001_AC.jpg