How Did The Cotton Gin Divide The Nation

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Cotton gin divided the nation. Cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds. This machine is way faster than manual labor. People thought the need for slavery would decrease because of this, but the opposite happened. “As the price of cotton decreased, the demand for cotton soared” (https://www.nps.gov/people/eli-whitney.htm) The creation of the cotton gin helped planters earn greater profits, prompting them to grow larger crops, which meant that they needed more slaves. (https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/cotton-gin-and-eli-whitney) The Erie Canal also divided the nation because the North was dependent on the South for their agricultural economy, and by building the canal, the North became