Explains the mechanics of the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in the late eighteenth century, and how it enabled the expansion of the American slave trade.
General Note
Includes index.
Content Note
Cotton, cotton, everywhere -- From farm to factory -- Slavery and freedom? -- Mr. Whitney can make anything -- Invention; good for whom? -- Labor in the mills -- Picking cotton -- On the auction block -- "I have a system to destroy" -- Trail of tears -- Civil War and after.