In 1793, Massachusetts native Eli Whitney invented something that revolutionized Southern agriculture. While in Georgia, Whitney invented the "Cotton Gin." It "cleaned" the cotton by
removing the seeds, something that normally took slaves many hours to do by hand. The Cotton
Gin increased daily production rates from one pound per day, per worker, to as much as 50 pounds
per day, per worker.
What relationship can you make between Whitney's invention and the use of
slavery in the Antebellum United States?
A) Slavery became less needed because machines now picked cotton
B) Slavery became more needed since more cotton could be harvested
C) Slavery became more needed because there were more jobs available
D) Slavery became less needed because the 13th Amendment outlawed it.