Who invented the cotton gin?

The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. Whitney, who was a Yale graduate, developed the machine to reduce the time and effort required to separate cotton fibers from their seeds. Before the cotton gin, this was a labor-intensive and time-consuming process that involved manual labor by enslaved African Americans. The invention of the cotton gin greatly increased the efficiency of cotton production and made it more profitable, leading to a massive expansion of cotton plantations in the southern United States. While Whitney’s invention revolutionized the cotton industry, it also reinforced the institution of slavery in America, as the increased demand for cotton led to an even greater reliance on slave labor.