United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018Hargrett, Elizabeth2009-08-28Encyclopedia article about cotton gins. The modern cotton gin, first patented by Massachusetts native Eli Whitney while in Georgia in 1793, is a simple machine that separates cotton fibers from the seeds. The gin (short for engine) consists of wire teeth mounted on a boxed rotating cylinder that, when cranked, pulls cotton fiber through small grates to separate the seeds, while a rotating brush removes lint from the spikes to avoid jams. Its invention quickly transformed the course of agriculture in the Deep South, and in so doing deepened the reliance of southern society on slavery and the plantation system.GSE identifier: SS8H4text/htmlengForms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Forms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.Cotton gins and ginning--Washington (D.C.)Cotton machinery--Washington (D.C.)Whitney, Eli, 1765-1825Cotton ginsText