What impact did Eli Whitney's 1793 Cotton Gin have on British textile mills?
Answer
It increased the volume of prepared short-staple cotton fiber available for import.
Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, invented in 1793 in America, targeted the supply side of the raw material equation for the British textile industry. This machine was specifically designed to automate the tedious and labor-intensive process of separating the short-staple cotton fiber from its sticky seeds. By making the preparation of the raw material vastly quicker and easier, the gin substantially increased the profitability of cotton cultivation, leading directly to a greater volume of clean fiber being shipped to the mills in Great Britain, thereby fueling the increased demand from mechanized spinners and weavers.
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