One possible cause of the spike in cotton production in Mississippi in the mid-1800s shown on the chart could be the widespread adoption of the cotton gin. The cotton gin, patented by Eli Whitney in 1794, greatly revolutionized the process of removing seeds from cotton fibers. This invention enabled much faster and efficient processing of cotton, resulting in a significant increase in production. As a result, cotton production became highly profitable, leading to higher demand and consequently, a surge in cotton cultivation in Mississippi and other southern states during that time period.
