Eli Whitney

Eli Whitney

Eli Whitney (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825) was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South.Whitney’s invention made upland short cotton into a profitable crop, which strengthened the economic foundation of slavery in the United States. Despite the social and economic impact of his invention, Whitney lost many profits in legal battles over patent infringement for the cotton gin. Thereafter, he turned his attention into securing contracts with the government in the manufacture of muskets for the newly formed United States Army. He continued making arms and inventing until his death in 1825. Wikipedia

Learn more about Eli Whitney through historical newspapers from our archives. Explore newspaper articles, headlines, images, and other primary sources below.

Articles and Clippings about Eli Whitney

Eli Whitney earns a Bachelor of Arts from Yale in 1792 24 Sep 1792, Mon Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) Newspapers.comEli Whitney's workshop catches fire Mon, Mar 23, 1795 – 2 · Spooner's Vermont Journal (Windsor, Vermont) · Newspapers.comAn act to carry into effect a contract between North Carolina and Eli Whitney for cotton gin patent Tue, Jan 11, 1803 – Page 1 · Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, North Carolina) · Newspapers.comNorth Carolina committee is convinced that Eli Whitney is the original inventor of the cotton gin Mon, Dec 5, 1803 – Page 3 · Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, North Carolina) · Newspapers.comEli Whitney submits report while serving as a commissioner studying depth of Connecticut rivers 09 Mar 1808, Wed Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) Newspapers.comConnecticut governor announces contract with Eli Whitney's factory for "arms ordered to be procured" 16 May 1810, Wed Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) Newspapers.comU.S. congressional committee discusses extending Eli Whitney's patent for the cotton gin 28 May 1812, Thu Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, Virginia) Newspapers.comCotton gin described in 1814 as the "machine which in the greatest degree saves labour" Fri, Dec 9, 1814 – Page 4 · The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, North Carolina) · Newspapers.comNewspaper marriage announcement for Eli Whitney and Henrietta F. Edwards 10 Jan 1817, Fri The Evening Post (New York, New York) Newspapers.comU.S. President James Monroe is expected to tour Eli Whitney's gun factory during trip to Connecticut 02 Jul 1817, Wed The Pittsfield Sun (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Newspapers.comEli Whitney loses 1817 election for a seat in Connecticut's general assembly 17 Sep 1817, Wed The Evening Post (New York, New York) Newspapers.comEli Whitney endorses razor strap product in ad Tue, Apr 9, 1822 – 4 · Vermont Gazette (Bennington, Vermont) · Newspapers.comEli Whitney becomes a manager at the Saving Bank of New-Haven in 1822 02 Jul 1822, Tue Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) Newspapers.comObituary: Eli Whitney dies at age 59 Wed, Jan 12, 1825 – Page 2 · The Evening Post (New York, New York) · Newspapers.comArticle says Eli Whitney and the cotton gin "opened a source of wealth to the Union" Tue, Apr 5, 1825 – Page 3 · Western Carolinian (Salisbury, North Carolina) · Newspapers.com"Eli Whitney Gun Factory" by William Giles Munson, painted 1827 Sun, Apr 16, 2017 – B3 · Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) · Newspapers.comSummary of Eli Whitney and the cotton gin written in 1865 (begins halfway down column) Sun, Mar 19, 1865 – Page 2 · The Daily Kansas Tribune (Lawrence, Kansas) · Newspapers.comA perspective on the effect of the cotton gin from 1890 Sat, Dec 13, 1890 – Page 3 · St. Landry Clarion (Opelousas, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com1894 article and letter exploring whether Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin Thu, Jul 5, 1894 – 3 · The Choctaw Herald (Butler, Alabama) · Newspapers.comOpinion: "No tribute ever paid to the memory of Eli Whitney" (1908) Mon, Apr 6, 1908 – 11 · Evening Star (Washington, District of Columbia) · Newspapers.comSouth Carolina article proposing Eli Whitney stole idea for cotton gin, 1940 Fri, Mar 15, 1940 – Page 2 · The Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, New York) · Newspapers.comColumnist writes that the cotton gin stopped Black education for 50 years Sat, May 28, 1955 – Page 10 · The New York Age (New York, New York) · Newspapers.com"Eli Whitney: Savior--and Nemesis--of the South," written in 1959 Sat, Apr 18, 1959 – 4 · The Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wisconsin) · Newspapers.comRetrospective on Eli Whitney and his inventions Sun, Dec 28, 2014 – W4 · Hartford Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) · Newspapers.comColumnist writes that "Eli Whitney's cotton gin led to a big jump in slavery" Sat, Mar 19, 2016 – A6 · The Herald-Palladium (Saint Joseph, Michigan) · Newspapers.com