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Effects of technology to society and humanity
Cotton gins impact on history
Effects of technology to society and humanity
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The Invention of the cotton gin greatly affected the growth of the south in the 1800s. It did so in many ways including effecting the souths economy, and causing the south to have a much higher demand for slaves. Eli Whitney’s invention revolutionized the cotton industry and caused it to grow and prosper. Because of this the south became a huge producer in the cotton industry causing the economy to skyrocket. One reason why Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin boosted the souths economy was the fact that it made cotton production much faster.
My cotton gin was a great invention and helped a lot because it took out the seeds much faster. My invention was successful because with more cotton with no seeds other companies would buy it to improve their
The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. Versions of a cotton gin have existed since the first century in which single rollers were used to try to separate the seed from the cotton. Over time, a double roller system was invented. Finally, in 1793, the version invented by Whitney actually used teeth-like projections to remove the seed from the cotton. A belt and pulley system then separated the lint from the seeds.
Eli Whitney’s invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 equalized the refinement of cotton by replacing slave labor with mechanical innovation. This ensured that farmers could focus on raw output rather than refinement. Joined with the slavery and the expansion of the domestic market, the ease of producing such a profitable cash crop created the equal opportunity for upward economic mobility quintessential of democracy. Additionally, egalitarianism in commerce became further attained by the Transportation Revolution, which saw the incorporation of canals and steamboats to ensure that farmers had equal chance to reach profitable markets regardless of location, which previously greatly limited economic prosperity. From 1816 to 1840, the mileage of canals in the United States expanded from 100 miles to 3300 miles, ensuring affordable and quick transportation accessible to all farmers.
Transportation meant more interactions of people and information, but often had devastating effects due to the human folly of wanting to decrease time. Women in the work force increased the production rate, as well as a boom in the economy, but were often treated in inhumane conditions and regarded lowly. Banks allowed vast opportunities for the wealthy investors, but also ended up disabling the poor working force, especially in the depression. As such, while there were evident benefits to the market revolution that heavily boosted the economy and development of the country, the drawbacks still outweighed the positives. Death and people taking advantages of others led to the market revolution being a dark time in American history.
As the antebellum Americans made several advancements in technological innovations, this helped the North overcome the South agriculturally. With the new inventions such as the cotton gin, the reaper, the steel tipped plow, and new ways to revive unfertile soil, the North had many advantages to aid them while they were gone to war. As these new inventions were created each had an impact on how and why the differences between the North and South came to be. Although the creation of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney improved the South’s economy it also made the South more dependent on slaves.
Eli Whitney was responsible for these, for example, the cotton gin. Whitney invented the cotton gin to make removing the seeds from cotton bolls faster. The main reason Whitney looked into his invention was because demand for cotton was growing so he wanted to find away to quicken work for the slaves in the South. The cotton gin led to big changes, England and North America demanded more cotton quicker to help expand their textile mills. Making production of cotton easier, the cotton gin turned cotton into a cash crop, making it more valuable in trade.
The number of consumer products went up. There were more products being created and when there more products to buy the stores made more money and when a product is being bought there needs to be more of that product made. Factory workers had to work longer hours which means they made more money which also means they would have more to spend. Some of the new products they were creating were indoor plumbing, hygiene products, electric irons, vacuums, washing machines, and refrigerators. Ford's
A number of technological and economic innovations were created during the antebellum era which was around the 1700s. During this era many innovations were created to build up the economic faster and more efficient. The first major innovation develop was the cotton gin. The cotton gin, is a machine that was designed to separate the cotton from the seeds, it made harvesting much easier for the slaves to produce a larger quantity of cotton. Once the cotton gin hit the market industry it expanded throughout the south, making labor not as difficult as it was before Eli Whitney, the inventor, created the cotton gin.
Furthermore, it was also the beginning of factories, and fossil fuels. It opened up many jobs for people due to the high demand of goods which eventually led to a high increase in immigration. The high increase in immigration was a huge benefit for factories because they were able to hire many desperate immigrants for low wages. Industrialization also led to the up rise of ranching which become a huge competition to farming. Social Darwinism was also implemented during this era, it was the belief that if you are rich it is because you are doing something right, and if you are poor it is because you failed at something.
This caused America to flourish with new inventions, for example the automobile, household machinery, television, etc. Even old inventions and ideas were improving, like the radio, movies, and the use of advertising. The radio, movies, driving, and buying the various new products became a part of the daily lives. These inventions created a sense of ease for daily lives in America in the 1920s. It made life, jobs, and experiences easier.
Some of the ways it helped the lives of the people was by improving their way of life, their homes, clothes, etc; many inventions and innovations, for example, assembly lines which helped both the business owners and the workers and by also urbanizing the country. Charles Knight states that the
The industrial nation required more unskilled laborers and people which allowed for all the immigrants from northern Europe and their children helped to provide the labor needed. Most of the working people had special attributes that would put them in a higher position than the rest and leave them to receive more pay. An example of this is “A craftsman who was unhappy with his or her employer could leave that job behind knowing that it was an easy matter to find another. Skilled workers were always in demand. All of this changed with the coming of machine production.
Before the start of the Industrial Revolution everything used or produced was done manually. With the invention of machinery not only did the process of production become faster is was done better. More products were being made in bigger quantities and the opportunity of many jobs were being created. The emergence of the middle class had a huge impact, this now meant the middle class could buy not only what they needed but had money left over to actually live life.
Lastly labor relations this caused much of the middle class to get depersonalized and had to fight for a job that had long hours and minimum pay. While it was a time of many inventions, it also was the time of economics, pastimes, sports, and labor relations that shaped how we look at this era today. Inventions were a big part of the industrial era, peoples standard of living increased, peoples home chores got easier and more efficient as new inventions were made. The electric oven for example reduced cooking time and amount of prepping time for the cook of the house.
