Primary Sources
Jefferson, Thomas. "Germantown Nov. 16, 1793." Letter to Eli Whitney Jr. 16 Nov. 1793. MS. N.p.
Whitney, Eli. Cotton Gin. Thomas Jefferson, assignee. Patent 72X. 14 Mar. 1794. Print.
Whitney, Eli, Jr. "New Haven, Sept. 11, 1793." Letter to Eli Whitney Sr. 11 Sept. 1793. MS. N.p.
- This primary source letter was helpful because it showed how Thomas Jefferson was quite interested in the idea of a cotton gin. Within the letter, Jefferson asks how fast the machine works, how much it costs to operate, and how many men are required to operate it.
Whitney, Eli. Cotton Gin. Thomas Jefferson, assignee. Patent 72X. 14 Mar. 1794. Print.
- This primary source was helpful because it provided me with a diagram of the cotton gin and the date of when it was given. The pictures of the gin gave me a better understanding of how it worked
Whitney, Eli, Jr. "New Haven, Sept. 11, 1793." Letter to Eli Whitney Sr. 11 Sept. 1793. MS. N.p.
- This primary source letter gave me great information about what Whitney described his invention as. From this, i got a good quote about what Whitney's description of the gin was.
Secondary Sources
Bellis, Mary. "The Cotton Gin and Eli Whitney." About.com Inventors. About.com, 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
Encyclopedia Britannica. "King Cotton (United States History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.
Kelley, Brandon. "Early Agriculture in Louisiana." LATech. Louisiana Tech University, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.
MIT. "Inventor of the Week: Eli Whitney." Lemelson-MIT. Massachusetts School of Technology, Aug. 2000. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
PBS. "Growth and Entrenchment of Slavery." Africans in America. WGBH, 1999. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.
Rubin, Julian T. "Eli Whitney: The Invention of the Cotton Gin." Following the Path of Discovery. Julian Rubin, July 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
Schur, Joan B. "Teaching With Documents:Eli Whitney's Patent for the Cotton Gin." National Archives. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. "The Cotton Gin and the Slave Trade." Chart. Atlas of American Agriculture. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 18. Print.
Ziegler, Pattie. "The Impact of the Cotton Gin." Teaching American History in South Carolina. Midlands Institute, 2005. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
- This source gave me a good overview of the history of Eli Whitney and the cotton gin. It told me about the invention of the gin and its long-term effects also
Encyclopedia Britannica. "King Cotton (United States History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.
- This source gave me a good idea of how powerful cotton's influence was over America. I learned about the idea of "king cotton" and how greatly it was followed
Kelley, Brandon. "Early Agriculture in Louisiana." LATech. Louisiana Tech University, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.
- This source showed me how agriculture was, before cotton was the largest crop produced. I learned that the first crops mass produced were tobacco, indigo, and rice
MIT. "Inventor of the Week: Eli Whitney." Lemelson-MIT. Massachusetts School of Technology, Aug. 2000. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
- This source provided me with good information about how Eli Whitney came to invent the cotton gin. It gave me information about how the gin was created at Mulberry Grove, along with the first prototype, and told me about how the gin actually caused Whitney to lose money
PBS. "Growth and Entrenchment of Slavery." Africans in America. WGBH, 1999. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.
- This source was a great source about the effects the gin had on slavery. This taught me about how the abolitionist movement was abruptly interrupted due to the gin's invention
Rubin, Julian T. "Eli Whitney: The Invention of the Cotton Gin." Following the Path of Discovery. Julian Rubin, July 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
- This source gave me information about Eli Whitney's patent for the cotton gin. It told me about the patent number, when it was issued and validated, and the gin's long-term effects on industry and slavery
Schur, Joan B. "Teaching With Documents:Eli Whitney's Patent for the Cotton Gin." National Archives. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
- This document told me about Whitney and his partner's original plans about how they intended to use the gin. It also told me about how people stole Whitney's design for the gin and gave me information about the gin's long-term effects
U.S. Department of Agriculture. "The Cotton Gin and the Slave Trade." Chart. Atlas of American Agriculture. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 18. Print.
- This chart gave me data about how the increasing amount of cotton produced and slaves went hand in hand. Mostly due to the gin, cotton production increased, along with the slaves needed to pick the cotton
Ziegler, Pattie. "The Impact of the Cotton Gin." Teaching American History in South Carolina. Midlands Institute, 2005. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
- This source provided me with a good overview about Eli Whitney and his cotton gin. The website gave me information about the history of cotton, Whitney's invention, and the overall impact of the cotton gin