Introduction to Early United States Cotton Industry and Slavery
The abuse and exploitation of slave labor is evident throughout the pre-civil war United States' history. Still, the mechanisms and ideologies used to explain these historical outcomes are often lost in modern depictions of history. This project will research the expansion and justification of slavery through the 1793 invention of the Cotton gin, which industrialized cotton and was contingent on slave labor. The project will be based on primary and secondary sources related to the invention of the cotton gin, as well as both anti- and pro-slavery arguments, in order to explore the significance of the cotton industry in early United States history
To understand the significance of the Cotton industry, it is crucial to know the difference in cotton production prior to the Eli Whitney 1793 invention of the cotton gin. To convey the exponential growth of cotton, this research will incoprate primary and secondary sources that go in detail about Eli Whiney and his creation of the cotton gin. The development of cotton industry is displayed the amazement of the public and Whitney's reactions, deriving them from old newspapers and pamphlets. This idea is supported by secondary sources that can affirm the long-lasting effects of the cotton gin had on the cotton industry.
Once the strength of the cotton industry in the early United States is identified, it distinguishes the long-lasting impacts the cotton gin had beyond the cotton industry. Through the analysis of firsthand accounts or perspectives, it emphasizes the economic dependence and expansion of the cotton industry conditioned by slave labor. Reviewing the historical discourse of slavery explains the prioritization of capital over human equality, an ideology perpetuated throughout history. Understanding the intentions behind the expansion and justification of slavery is important because it contextualizes the contemporary impacts of slavery.