“…he can make anything…”. Basic Biographical Data 1765 - Born in Westborough, MA 1792 -...
-
Upload
delilah-gilmore -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
0
Transcript of “…he can make anything…”. Basic Biographical Data 1765 - Born in Westborough, MA 1792 -...
Basic Biographical Data
• 1765 - Born in Westborough, MA • 1792 - Graduated from Yale University• 1793 – invented the cotton gin• 1798 – built a musket factory using the
concept of interchangeable parts and a simple assembly line process
• 1825 – died in Connecticut
Why is Whitney Important?
• On trip to SC plantation, EW noticed slaves working hard
• 1793 – invented the cotton gin • to help slaves clean cotton faster and easier• to improve productivity • to increase profits for plantation
The Cotton Gin
Raw cotton goes in
Roller combs rip
cotton fibers apart
Seeds fall to the
bottom
Clean cotton collects
here
Hand crank to turn the
roller combs
The Rest of the Story…
• EW had a patent for his invention…but…• The cotton gin was easy to
duplicate• Farmers made their own machines• EW and his lawyers spent
years traveling the South suing and losing…
• Increased use of slaves on plantations
Interchangeable Parts
Product made the same way each time
Identical parts in
each product
Workers specialize
in their one task
Broken parts are easy to replace
Life Before Whitney’s Inventions• Slaves had to clean
cotton by hand… slow and painful work…expensive
• Muskets and pistols were custom made…one at a time…expensive
Whitney’s Inventions Change Life
• Introduced the concept of mass production to American business
• Saved businesses time and money
• Increased productivity of slaves on plantations and factory workers
• Increased profits
Long-term Effects in the South
• Increased settlement of western lands
• Increased production of cotton
• Increased need for slaves to work the cotton fields
• Increased desire to remove Indians from prime land
Long-term Effects in the North
• Development of the textile industry
• Increased need for factory workers
• Growth of cities• Increased trade with
European countries
Bibliography
Eli Whitney: The Inventor. <http://www.eliwhitney.org/new/museum/about-eli-whitney/inventor>.
Hall of Fame: Inventor Profile. <http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/152.html >. 2002.