Domestic Tech

     The cotton gin was not a Civil War invention, the mechanical processing of cotton was in use in India well before Europeans colonized the North American continent. Furthermore Eli Whitney, the person most commonly associated with ginning cotton in American history, received his patent on 14 March, 1794 (viewable here). Whitney’s gin made cotton a major export of the US. Given that most clothing was made in the home, the increased availability and affordability of cotton had an immeasurable impact on the lives of women and their families.