Answer :
Final answer:
The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney, greatly improved the speed of cotton processing and led to a significant increase in cotton agriculture in the South. It enabled the production of short staple cotton, which became highly profitable and dominated the market. This invention transformed cotton into a major cash crop, drastically increasing plantation growth and production in America.
Explanation:
The Impact of the Cotton Gin on Cotton Production
The technological invention that revolutionized the processing of cotton and significantly increased the number of cotton plantations was the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. This machine was designed to clean the seeds from the raw cotton quickly and efficiently, far surpassing the manual labor done by enslaved workers. Whitney's cotton gin allowed for the successful production of short staple cotton, which was previously considered unprofitable due to the difficulty of seed removal.
As a result, cotton became a dominant cash crop in the Southern United States, where production skyrocketed from about 73,000 bales in 1800 to 730,000 bales by 1820. This vast increase was fueled by the high demand for cotton in international markets and led to the rapid expansion of cotton plantations into the fertile lands of the Old Southwest, where the soil proved ideal for cultivation.
Ultimately, thanks to the cotton gin, by mid-century, the United States produced around 68 percent of the world's cotton, thus solidifying its economic importance and influencing the social structure of the South.
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