My facts about the Cotton Gin

  • The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney
  • The cotton gin was invented in North Carolina!
  • The cotton gin picked the fibers from the cotton plant.
  • The cotton gin did the work of a hundred men.
  • Eli Whitney , the inventor of the cotton gin, went to college at Yale.
  • The cotton gin was patented in 1784
  • Before the invention of the cotton gin, seeds had to be removed from cotton fibers by hand; this labor-intensive and time-consuming process made growing and harvesting cotton uneconomical.
  • The cotton gin is also called a saw gin because it consisted of a cylinder to which a number of sawlike teeth were attached.
  • The cotton gin expanded the harvest of cotton throughoout the United States.
    • I got my info from Encarta CD Rom.
    My penpal wrote to me first because I did not have internet acess to begin with. This is what he wrote:

    Hi Chris,

    I got the information listed below from a friend colleague of my father-in-law in Memphis. Go to the the page listed and click on "From Field To Fabric" for a pretty good description of the process of growing and processing cotton. Maybe you can do a search on the web for more information about the Cotton Gin.

    My father-in-law, Richard Allen (Elizabeth's and Diana's grandfather), is a long time cotton man, arranging for farmers to sell cotton to manufacturers who make things from it. In the old days, he and his partners actually received samples of the cotton in their office and "graded" it by feeling it, to see how good the quality was and what kind of price it could bring. Over the last 10-20 years, the process has changed, and now he mainly deals in cotton "futures," meaning that he is arranging for cotton that is currently being grown, to be sold to someone who will use it. But under this arrangement, he never actually sees or touches the cotton.

    That's all for now. Please write back.

    Regards, Greg Beedy>

    < This is another letter he wrote to me.>

    My name is Greg Beedy and I am Elizabeth and Diana Beedy's dad; Mr. Bergen asked some parents to be email penpals with you on your invention project. By the way, is Chris short for Christopher or Christina, or what?

    I work in the software business and use email a lot to communicate with people in my company and other companies, and friends and family. My company has its world headquarters in New York, and offices in many countries around the world, so email is very handy to talk to co-workers in Europe and Asia and Australia and others, especially Australia since by time differences they are rarely in the office at the same time I am.

    Email has had a big effect on the way we can do business. The cotton gin had an equally profound effect in its day on how cotton farming and production were done. It changed the roles of many workers and replaced old jobs and created new ones.

    Write me back and we can discuss more. Thanks.

    Regards, Greg Beedy >

    Hi Sorry it took me so long to write!!! i just got internet access. I'm Christina! I'm a sixie at Nobles. I know Elizabeth she is a grade ahead. Do you like to get e-mail? I do !!! Thank you so much for all the great mail you have sent!!! it is really helpful!! I like exclamation points!!!( can you tell) Well I have to go study bye and thanks again!! Christina

    < I also wrote back this to him.>

    Hi. Here ia another smiley face you can make =) or sad face =( I write these somethimes to express my mood. I LOVE having penpals because then i feel special!!! I have found out so far that the cotton gin was invented by : Eli Whitney

    In: 1793

    In : North Carolina

    And it was patented in 1794!!! Well I have ot go to English now so talk to you later bye

    Christina

    < He wrote this letter to me as one of the first.>

    Hi Ellen,

    I have been asked to be an email penpal with a seventh-grader at my daughters' school, who is doing a report on the invention of the cotton gin.

    Can you or Richard or anyone else there, share anything interesting with us about the cotton gin? How it changed the business? How it changed the role of workers, and how cotton was produced and distrbuted.

    Just cc: Chris_Venditti-02@noblesnet.org and Chris will be able to see your reply directly.

    Thanks, Greg Beedy>

    The last letter I will share was a very helpful one about a web site.>

    Hi Chris,

    I got the information listed below from a friend colleague of my father-in-law in Memphis. Go to the the page listed and click on "From Field To Fabric" for a pretty good description of the process of growing and processing cotton. Maybe you can do a search on the web for more information about the Cotton Gin.

    My father-in-law, Richard Allen (Elizabeth's and Diana's grandfather), is a long time cotton man, arranging for farmers to sell cotton to manufacturers who make things from it. In the old days, he and his partners actually received samples of the cotton in their office and "graded" it by feeling it, to see how good the quality was and what kind of price it could bring. Over the last 10-20 years, the process has changed, and now he mainly deals in cotton "futures," meaning that he is arranging for cotton that is currently being grown, to be sold to someone who will use it. But under this arrangement, he never actually sees or touches the cotton.

    That's all for now. Please write back.

    Regards, Greg Beedy

    From: EAMULE@aol.com[SMTP:EAMULE@aol.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 1997 12:08 PM
    To: Beedy, Gregory
    Subject: Additional info. NCC website!

    >Greg,

    >National Cotton Council web site is www.cotton.org. For educational material >go to www.cotton.org/ncc/public/ncc/educmats.htm

    >What they can send you is probably what I would pick up at their office. Let >me know if this web site works for what you need.

    >Ellen >