Eli Whitney learned of this difficulty while working as a school teacher for the Greene family in Georgia. In 1793 he designed a machine to separate cotton fiber from the seed. This engine (gin) could clean up to 100 pounds of cotton per day.
His invention was soon copied and plantations throughout the country began to plant more cotton now that they knew how to quickly process it. Soon cotton clothing became so inexpensive that, for the first time in history, most people had more than one outfit to wear. This affordability continued to increase demand for cotton.
In order to meet the demand, plantation owners needed more and more workers to plant and harvest the cotton. They found those workers by purchasing massive amounts of slaves.
In Class Activities:
- Separated seeds from our own cotton bols
- Discussed the word paradox and whether America was truly the "land of the free"
- Mapped the growth of slavery in the US
- Discussed selfishness and perceived needs vs. real needs
- Learned about black slave owners
- Discussed the 1808 ban on slave importation
- Drew the big dipper and learned about the underground railroad
Optional Lesson Extension Activities:
- Listen to Follow the Drinking Gourd and see if you can find secret directions to the Underground Railroad hidden in the song
- Play at Mission US's Interactive website. You are a 14 year old slave in 1848. What choices will you make?
Assignment:
- Read history card #6 - The Trail of Tears
- Practice your timeline
