Black History Month 2025

1793 1794 1795

Confederation | 1 George Washington | 2 John Adams

African Slavery Cotton Slavery

March 14, 1794
Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin Awarded Patent



Washington, D. C. - The cotton gin was awarded a patent, by the United States government. It was given to Eli Whitney. The patent was not validated until 1807.

The cotton gin exploded the demand for enslaved labor. It was not the primary cause for the massive increases in cotton production, to come. But, it did remove a key bottleneck, that made slavery very profitable.

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