Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793. It jump-started the cotton economy, which meant in the United States that it contributed to the growth and prosperity of slavery. As John Hope Franklin and Alfred Moss, Jr. write:
In the years immediately following the treaty of independence of 1783, the areas where slaves were concentrated experiencecl a severe depression. Tobacco plantations were plagued by two evils: soil exhaustion and a glutted market. Rice and indigo production brought little profit to the planters of these commodities. The price of slaves was declining, and there was reason to believe that the institution would deteriorate. [my emphasis]
Full post:
https://brucemillerca.substack.com/p/confederate-heritage-month-2023-april-795
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