Why did the cotton gin need more slaves?

This invention made it possible to grow large amounts of cotton on big farms and make money. So even though the cotton gin meant less people or slaves had to operate it, it made growing cotton more profitable so that more and more people planted more and more cotton. This meant they needed more slaves. read more

One of the major effects of the cotton gin on slavery was the increased need for slaves to keep up with the profitability that came with its invention. Before the gin was invented, cotton was not considered a money-making crop. read more

Cheaper cotton created huge demand and the New South was created to provide the additional cotton for the mills of England. All those new plantations in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas needed more slaves to raise and pick the cotton. Vast new wealth was created by the cotton gin. That wealth was created by slave labor. read more

Before Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin, picking and cleaning cotton was a slow, labor-intensive job. Workers, usually slaves, had to pick the seeds from the cotton fibers by hand. read more