Through study of the Cotton Gin, the "Spinning Jenny", and the Power Loom, I learned about how these machines changed the production of cotton forever. While this new technology skyrocketed the demand of cotton, by doubling the productivity, I learned that it also did much more. What I didn't know, before our in class discussion was the true effects that this technology had on slaves and America as a whole. The question was eventually asked, "How was the amount of cotton picked, increased, without the mechanical cotton picker being invented until the 1930's?". Through this, I learned that the amount of cotton picked, was truly increased, because the brutality of slaves on plantations was increased. The slaves had to work harder, in fear of being beaten or killed. There is proof of this, because there are records of whips being manufactured that were specifically meant for slaves. This truly shocked me. It has now come into question in my mind that, if brutality of slaves was never increased, would have been abolished, and would there be a Civil War?
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