Cotton Becomes King - Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin and in turn changed the path of America and its fortune. 

Read this excerpt from his obituary:  Judge Johnson, of South Carolina, speaking of this invention, in 1807, says, “The whole interior of the southern states was languishing. and its inhabitants emigrating for want of some object to engage their attention and employ their industry, when the invention of this machine at once opened views to them which set the whole country in motion. From childhood to age, it has presented to us a lucrative employment.  Individuals, who were depressed with poverty and sunk in idleness, have suddenly risen to wealth and respectability. Our debts have been paid, our capitals increased, and our lands trebled in value.  We cannot express the weight of obligations which the country owes to this invention: the extent of it cannot now be seen.”

Statistics can tell a great deal about how a society deals with change. In the South, the invention of the Cotton Gin was a technological advancement that changed the production of a major cash crop. But what did it really mean and how did this invention change society? Can this one invention be blamed for the problems the nation faced after its invention? Students will be asked to become statisticians and crunch the numbers. Their challenge will be to use their findings to answer the essential question. 

Duration
Multiple days
Lesson Type
Project Based Lesson

Lesson Created By: Lori Powers

Lesson Partners: Lexington/Richland School District 5, ETV Education

Essential Question

Can an invention, like the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, be seen as the root cause for perpetuating the plantation system in the South, promoting sectionalism, and feeding a growing abolitionist movement in the North? 
 

Grade(s):

  • 7
  • 8

Subject(s):

Recommended Technology:

Computers/tablets with internet access
Create presentations using Prezi

Other Instructional Materials or Notes:

Lesson Progression

Step 1

  • Explain to students that they will become statisticians. Their job will be to compile statistics, either under the category of “Economic Statistics” or “Human Statistics”.
  • Half the class will work with the primary economic statistics and those subtopics and the other half will work with human statistics and their subtopics. The teacher may want to group students based on subtopics.

Economic Statistics

  • Cotton Production
  • Imports/Exports
  • Comparisons to other areas of the country outside of South Carolina
  • Comparisons in South Carolina between the Upcountry and Lowcountry

Human Statistics

  • Social Classes in South Carolina
  • Sectionalism in the state and nation
  • White population/Black population
  • Opposition/support for slavery in the state and nation

Step 2

  • “Economic Statistic” students must come together to compile their research. 
  • The goal is to create a “Prezi”. Icons for each subtopic must be in the presentation. Graphics that explain the subtopic statistics in an easy to understand, simple format are encouraged. One icon that answers the essential question is mandatory. 

Step 3

  • “Human Statistic” students must come together to compile their research. 
  • The goal is to create a “Prezi”. Icons for each subtopic must be in the presentation. Graphics that explain the subtopic statistics in an easy to understand, simple format are encouraged. One icon that answers the essential question is mandatory. 

Teacher Notes

Extensions/Differentiation:

Mathematics correlation: Using provided statistics, students calculate the difference of production by one slave using and not using the cotton gin.  Students will calculate the unit rate to per hour.  Then student will create a model to show the difference of product.

The SC Journey Chapter 4, Lesson 1, Pages 118-127 - Instructional Resources

From Gibbs Smith Education

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PBS - Excerpt from Episode Two, The Age of Slavery, from the series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The invention of the cotton gin revolutionized the worldwide textile industry, and with it the dynamics of slavery. An excerpt from Episode Two, The Age of Slavery. (Cotton Gin)

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PBS - Africans in America: Eli Whitney's cotton gin

The history of Eli Whitney's invention, the Cotton Gin, and its patent. (Cotton Gin)

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Death of Eli Whitney from Rare & Early Newspapers

Whitney's Obituary

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Comparing and Contrasting the North and South

Comparison Sheet-North/South

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Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website

North-South Comparison Charts

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Mapping History website from the University of Oregon

Growth of Cotton Production

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These Maps Reveal How Slavery Expanded Across the United States

As the hunger for more farmland stretched west, so too did the demand for enslaved labor. (Map showing expansion of slavery)

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Technology Resource

Create presentations using Prezi

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Standards