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Eli Whitney Facts & Worksheets

Eli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution.

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Eli Whitney Jr., an American inventor who lived from December 8, 1765, to January 8, 1825, is best known for creating the cotton gin, one of the major works of the Industrial Revolution that influenced the economy of the Antebellum South.

See the fact file below for more information about Eli Whitney, or download the comprehensive worksheet pack, which contains over 11 worksheets and can be used in the classroom or homeschooling environment.

Key Facts & Information

Early Life and Education 

  • Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts, on December 8, 1765, the oldest child of wealthy farmer Eli Whitney Sr. and his wife Elizabeth Fay, who was also from Westborough.
  • When Whitney was 11 years old, his mother, Elizabeth Fay, passed away. During the Revolutionary War, he ran a successful nail production business at his father’s workshop at 14.
  • In order to save money, Whitney worked as a teacher and farmhand. Under the instructions of Rev. Elizur Goodrich of Durham, Connecticut, he prepared for Yale at Leicester Academy (now Becker College), where he entered in the fall of 1789 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1792. Whitney intended to study law, but when he ran out of money, he decided to accept a job as a private instructor in South Carolina instead.

Career

  • Eli Whitney has been called the “father of American technology” in popular mythology for two inventions: the cotton gin and the concept of interchangeable parts. 
  • Whitney is most recognized for the cotton gin (1793) and his support for interchangeable components, two innovations that significantly impacted the US in the middle of the 19th century. 
  • Cotton production in the South increased mainly to the cotton gin and revived enslavement at the same time. On the other hand, in the North, the use of interchangeable components transformed the manufacturing sector and notably aided the United States’ victory in the Civil War.

Inventions

Cotton Gin

  • Whitney built several inventive household items while residing at Mulberry Grove, which prompted Mrs Greene, who gave him the opportunity to meet some businesspeople who were talking about the need for a machine to separate short-staple upland cotton from its seeds, work that was previously done by hand at a rate of one pound of lint per day. Whitney created a prototype in a matter of weeks.
  • The cotton gin, invented in 1794 by American-born inventor Eli Whitney, is a mechanical device that automates the labor-intensive, time-consuming process of removing the seeds from cotton. 
  • The engine is abbreviated as gin.
  • Short-staple cotton, which was simple to grow in the deep South but challenging to process, was separated from the fibers by the gin’s sticky seeds. Although the gin made it easier to separate the seeds from the fibers, the cotton still required to be selected by hand.
  • The cotton gin was a wooden drum with hooks nailed to it that were used to draw cotton fibers through a screen.
  • The cotton seeds dropped outside because they could not fit through the mesh.
  • Whitney submitted his cotton gin patent application on October 28, 1793, and on March 14, 1794, he was granted the patent (later designated as X72); however, it was not confirmed until 1807.
  • The gins were not intended for sale by Whitney and his business partner Miller did not intend the gins for sale. Instead, they anticipated charging farmers two-fifths of the value, paid in cotton, for cleaning their cotton, similar to the owners of grist and sawmills.
  • The cotton gin revolutionized agriculture in the South and the US economy.
  • Contrary to most agricultural products, cotton was a staple that could be moved across wide areas and preserved for extended periods of time. Over half of the value of American exports between 1820 and 1860 were made up of it, making it the state’s largest export.
  • Whitney thought that his cotton gin would eliminate the need for slave labor and speed the end of slavery in the South. 
  • Ironically, the cotton gin, a labor-saving tool, contributed to the preservation and extension of slavery in the United States for an additional 70 years.
  • Today, cotton is still separated from its lint and processed using cotton gins. Since Eli Whitney invented his first cotton gin many years ago, they have undergone various changes. Although they continue to use the same principles, the cotton gins that are currently in use are significantly bigger and more effective.

Interchangeable parts

  • The concept of interchangeable parts, which Eli Whitney championed for years as a manufacturer of muskets, is frequently mistakenly credited to him as its creator. However, the idea existed before Whitney, and Whitney’s contribution to it was one of promotion and popularization rather than invention. 
  • Whitney did not successfully implement the concept until near the end of his life; it took place first in other people’s armories.
  • Through the archaeological remains of boats presently housed at the Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi and historical literary descriptions, attempts at interchangeability of pieces can be traced back as long as the Punic Wars. 
  • Honoré Blanc and Louis de Tousard were among others motivated to continue working on the concept and develop shoulder weapons in addition to artillery. These initiatives led to the development of the “armory system,” or the American industrial system, in the 19th century. 
  • Before Whitney’s armory, several New Englanders, such as Captain John H. Hall and Simeon North, achieved successful interchangeability. Not long after his passing in 1825, the Whitney armory finally saw success.
  • In 1798, Whitney accepted a contract to produce muskets primarily for financial reasons. Whitney was heavily in debt as a result of the cotton gin litigation by the late 1790s and was on the point of filing for bankruptcy. 
  • Fire destroyed his cotton gin mill in New Haven, and the ensuing legal battle depleted his finances. The French Revolution sparked new disputes between Great Britain, France, and the United States.
  • Realizing it was necessary to prepare for war, the new American administration started to rearm. 10,000 muskets were to be manufactured according to contracts granted by the War Department. 
  • In January 1798, Whitney, who had never before built a gun, was given a contract to supply 10,000 to 15,000 muskets in 1800. Interchangeable parts were not stated at that time. 
  • Whitney first mentioned interchangeability ten months later, when Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott, Jr. handed him a “foreign pamphlet on arms manufacturing processes,” probably one of Honoré Blanc’s reports.
  • Congress approved a measure in May 1798 that would use $80,000 to purchase cannons and small arms in the event that war with France broke out. It promised a $5,000 incentive, plus another $5,000, once the first $5,000 was used for anyone who could successfully supply the government’s weapons.
  • Whitney accepted the offer since the cotton gin had not provided him with the benefits he thought it would. Despite the contract’s one-year duration, Whitney used several justifications for delaying the delivery of the armaments until 1809. Recent research by historians has revealed that Whitney used the funds to travel to South Carolina between 1801 and 1806 to make money from the cotton gin.
  • Merritt Roe Smith concludes that Whitney’s presentation from 1801 was “manufactured” and “duped government authorities” into thinking he had been successful. Despite the fact that it seemed to demonstrate the viability of making interchangeable parts. 
  • Whitney determined an actual price per musket by including fixed costs like insurance and machinery that the government had not considered. The government complained that Whitney’s price per musket did not compare well with those produced in government armories. He gained time and resources to reach that goal due to the charade. As a result, he made early contributions to the principles of cost accounting and industrial economic efficiency.

Later Life and Legacy

  • Despite coming from a humble background, Whitney understood the importance of having powerful connections. He used most of the connections he had access to as a Yale alumnus, including James Hillhouse, a prominent developer and politician in New Haven, and Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury (class of 1778), to expand his armaments business.
  • Just one month after turning 59, Whitney passed away from prostate cancer in New Haven, Connecticut, on January 8, 1825. He left behind his four children and a widow. He supposedly made countless mechanical painkillers throughout the course of his illness. One of his descendants, Eli Whitney III (also known as Eli Whitney Jr.), was important in the construction of New Haven, Connecticut’s waterworks.

Eli Whitney Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Eli Whitney Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about Eli Whitney, who was an American inventor best known for inventing cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution.

List of Worksheets Included

  • Eli Whitney Facts.
  • Farm Conditions.
  • Fill-in-the-Blanks.
  • Cotton Research.
  • Matching Activity.
  • Eli Whitney Wordsearch.
  • Social Media Profile.
  • Opinion Piece.
  • Cotton Controversy.
  • True or False?
  • Eli Whitney Crossword.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is Eli Whitney famous for?

Eli Whitney is most recognized for the cotton gin (1793) and his support for interchangeable components, two innovations that significantly impacted the US in the middle of the 19th century.

What are the two inventions of Eli Whitney?

Eli Whitney has been called the “father of American technology” in popular mythology for two inventions: the cotton gin and the concept of interchangeable parts.

Why is Eli Whitney important to the Industrial Revolution?

The cotton gin, invented in 1794 by American-born inventor Eli Whitney (1765–1825), revolutionized cotton production by making the removal of seeds from cotton fiber much faster.

Is the cotton gin still used today?

Today, cotton is still separated from its lint and processed using cotton gins. Since Eli Whitney invented his first cotton gin many years ago, they have undergone various changes. Although they continue to use the same principles, the cotton gins that are currently in use are significantly bigger and more effective.

What does a cotton gin do?

Short-staple cotton, which was simple to grow in the deep South but challenging to process, was separated from the fibers by the gin’s sticky seeds. Although the gin made it easier to separate the seeds from the fibers, the cotton still required to be selected by hand.

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