Who invented the cotton gin? U.S. History Manifest Destiny and Slavery The Slave Trade, The South, and Plantations 1 Answer Kaylee C. Dec 22, 2015 Eli Whitney Explanation: Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 to help improve the process of picking cotton. Whitney also had a lot of legal trouble in enforcing his patent. Read more here , here, and here. Answer link Related questions Why was Ogelthorpe's prohibition of slavery reversed? How was life in the Tidewater different from life in the backcountry South? How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act affect the amount of land that was open to slavery? What problems did Southern cotton planters face? How did the conflict over slavery lead to Bleeding Kansas? How did African slaves contribute to the development of the Americas? How did Harriet Tubman become a conductor on the Underground Railroad? Why did the nation's business boom bypass the South? How did the three-fifths compromise help the south preserve slavery? What impact did the three-fifths compromise have on the political future of the United States? See all questions in The Slave Trade, The South, and Plantations Impact of this question 2922 views around the world You can reuse this answer Creative Commons License