3. Early Life
Eli Whitney was born December 8th 1765 in Westborough Massachusetts. His mother died
when he was only 11 years of age so he was under the care of his father for the better part of
his childhood. Whitney's mechanical genius began to be displayed at the age of 14 when he
ran a nail production operation out of his father’s barn during the American Revolution.
Among working on his nail operation he worked as a
blacksmith and was one of the leading maker’s of ladies’
hatpins in his county.
“He had an instinctive understanding of mechanisms. It
was a medium in which he could improvise and create
in exactly the same way that a poet handles words or a
painter uses color.”
4. Early life
(continued)
Whitney's wished to attend college but was unable to due to the objection of his parents. A
wish to attend a school such as Yale, when not studying law or theology, was absurd. He
instead worked as a school teacher and a farmer. Whitney studied at Leicester Academy
while working and saving money. Eventually he saved enough money and entered the class
of 1789 at Yale.
After receiving his degree, Whitney took a job as a teacher
in South Carolina because he could not find a job that
appropriated his talents. He ended up living with Mrs.
Greene, a Revolutionary war widow of general Nathanael
Greene, after turning down his teaching job. The pay that
Whitney committed to was not going to be met, so he
lived with Mrs. Greene while reading law.
Quit
Nathanael Greene
5. Invention of the Cotton Gin
Whilst listening to conversations among Mrs. Greene and neighbors, Whitney
learned of the lack of a cash crops in the south. The amount of labor required to
harvest green seed variety cotton was preposterous. It was at this point that Mrs.
Greene spoke up and nominated Whitney to find a solution to one of the biggest
problems of the South.
"Gentlemen," said Mrs. Greene, "apply to my young friend,
Mr. Whitney. He can make anything."
6. Invention of the Cotton Gin
(continued)
Whitney began to watch closely at the harvesting and cleaning of cotton seeds. He noticed
that typically one hand held the seed and the other hand teased out the strands of lint.
Whitney took the initiative to design a machine that merely duplicated the motion of the
hands. Whitney made essentially a sift of wires that stretched lengthwise across the
machine. This was to replace the hand that held the seed.
There was a drum that rotated very closely to the wires. This drum had very fine wires on
the end so the lint would catch as it passed through. This was to replace the figures. Then a
rotating brush would spin and wipe the drum clean of lint. This brush spun four times as
fast as the drum to make sure to gather all the lint.
Click here to view a movie on the Cotton Gin
Quit
7. Benefits
Whitney’s invention had sparked the morale of the South. They now had a cash crop
that would have dramatic effects on their economy. The United States no longer had to
have an enormous dependency on foreign cotton.
Whitney’s Cotton Gin design has been one
that has changed little in the past two
hundred years, showing his mechanical
genius and understanding. Present day
Cotton Gin’s have become larger to account
for an increase in demand of cotton since the
early 19th century.
A Cotton Gin near Moscow, Kansas
Quit
8. Consequences
Whitney and his partner, Phineaus Miller, did not have a great start with their new
invention. Although President Thomas Jefferson awarded the duo their patent in 1794,
and wished to purchase one, this simply would not be so easy. Whitney and Miller had
promised too many farmers too many gins and the price was outrageous.
Farmers soon realized, that due to the simplicity of Whitney’s design, they could create
homemade gins and save money and time. The patent that Whitney had sought after
had become essentially useless.
Whitney’s revolutionary idea would also become one of the leading contributors and
factors of the beginning of the American Civil War. Slavery in the United States was on
a decline due to the intense amount of labor required. The Cotton Gin solved this
issue, allowing more cotton to picked by more hands.
Quit
9. Later Life
In 1798 Whitney signed a contract with President Adams agreeing to produce 10,000
muskets in just two years time. This was a courageous agreement for a couple of
reasons: Whitney did not own a factory nor have gunsmiths and he had never even
produced a musket before. Whitney’s plan was to replicate
ideas circulating in Europe at
the time. Ideas of
interchangeable parts, which
would speed production
greatly. Whitney created a self-
sustaining community where
he provided housing, food, and
training for his employees.
Whitney was unable to meet
the goals of his agreement. It
took him nearly 8 years to fill
the order that he thought
could be done in two.
Until Whitney’s idea of interchangeable parts, all rifle
parts made were made individually
10. Later Life
(continued)
Whitney became engulfed in his work and became very lonely. His partner, Miller,
married Mrs. Greene. Whitney had his nephews, Philos and Eli Whitney Blake, come to
New Haven, CT and had them trained and educated. At the age of 51, Whitney married
Henrietta Edwards, who was 31 at the time. Whitney began to fall ill. He was having
issues with an enlarged prostate. He started studying anatomy with his physicians and
helped devise a catheter to ease the pain.
In 1825, Whitney died on January 8th.
When his last notes were examined,
they showed not signs of suffering but
of thought on his work. They were
sketches of advanced tools for making
lock parts.
Eli Whitney’s contribution
revolutionized agriculture as well as
factories in the United States.
Quit
11. Resources
Information regarding Eli Whitney:
•http://www.invent.org/Hall_Of_Fame/152.html
•http://www.eliwhitney.org
Photos:
•http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/ryn/projects/inventors/whitney/whitney.gif
•http://www.eliwhitney.org/img_ew/gin_s.gif
•http://images.art.com/images/-/Eli-Whitney--C10098917.jpeg
•http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~robert/nathanaelgreene.jpg
•http://www.kansasinc.org/photo04.shtml
•http://www.nowpublishers.com/product.aspx?product=TOM&doi=0200000001§ion= ch04
Video:
•http://www.unitedstreaming.com
Quit
12. About the Author
Hi!
My name is Mike Busk and I am currently a student at
Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI. I
am a History and German major. My intent is teach at
the secondary level, high school preferably.
I was born and raised in Michigan. I grew up for the
first four years of my life in Royal Oak and then moved
to Troy where my parents (and I when I am not at
school) currently live. I enjoy playing soccer, running,
and snowboarding.
I appreciate you taking time to view my presentation
and hope that you enjoyed it. I can be contacted at
the following email address:
mbusk13@comcast.net
Quit
