High School

How did the cotton gin change the production of cotton?

A. It made it more work intensive for enslaved laborers.
B. It doubled the output of cotton.
C. It mechanized cotton seeding.
D. It only required four or five skilled enslaved laborers to operate the gin.

Answer :

Final answer:

The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney, mechanized seed removal from cotton, boosting productivity from one pound to fifty pounds of processed cotton per laborer per day, leading to an increase in cotton production and intensification of slave labor. The correct choice will be O it doubled the output of cotton. it mechanized cotton seeding.

Explanation:

The cotton gin dramatically changed the production of cotton by mechanizing the process of removing seeds from cotton fibers. Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, the device allowed a single enslaved laborer to clean the seeds from as much as fifty pounds of cotton in a day, as opposed to one pound if done by hand. This increased efficiency led to a surge in cotton production, with production rising from about 73,000 bales in 1800 to 730,000 bales in 1820. While Whitney hoped the gin would help reduce the need for slave labor, it instead intensified it, since planters expanded cotton production, requiring more slave labor to plant, harvest, and process the cotton.