Cotton Gin And Civil War
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Political turmoil led to the Civil War between the Northern and Southern States of America. The period between 1800 and 1860 witnessed some intense battles and disagreements between the two parties.
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The reasons for Civil War were numerous. The slavery issue, the tariffs to be paid by the Northern and Southern States and development of cotton gin contributed to animosities between the two parties. The taxes to be paid by the Southern states were a lot more when compared to that incurred on the Northern states. The distance for shipment of goods from the Southern states was longer when compared to the Northern states. This forced the southern states to pay more taxes.
The northern states were becoming more powerful with a population boom making them dictate terms. Sectionalism became rampant when the Northern states were viewed as separate entities. The Southern states were extremely displeased with the Federal authority in Washington, which they felt was heavily tilted towards the northern states.
Cotton was widely grown and processed in the southern states. The Northern conditions were not very favorable for cultivation of cotton plants. With increased cotton demands from countries the world over, southern states flourished with cotton trade. Invention of cotton gin by Eli Whitney turned to be a huge blessing. Initially, the entire processing of cotton was man made. With the invention of cotton gin, the same work which took an entire day could be completed in minutes. Slaves were used to manage and cultivate the cotton crops. The northern states termed slavery as unethical and demanded complete abolition. Constant quarrels led to the secession of seven southern states from United States of America. They called themselves the Confederation States of America.
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Cotton gin was a machine invented to make the techniques of cotton processing a lot easier. It looks like a wire mesh with hooks that can easily pull the cotton fibers and discard the seeds effectively. These machines were one of the early inventions by man. A cotton gin was used in countries like India as early as the 1st century AD. Stones and wood were used instead of metal.