“However, like many inventors, Whitney (who died in 1825) could not have foreseen the ways in which his invention would change society for the worse. The most significant of these was the growth of slavery. While it was true that [his invention] reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves...In fact, the opposite occurred.”

Question

“However, like many inventors, Whitney (who died in 1825) could not have foreseen the ways in which his invention would change society for the worse. The most significant of these was the growth of slavery. While it was true that [his invention] reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves...In fact, the opposite occurred.”

-- Joan Brodsky Schur, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2016

What invention is the above quote alluding to?

Telegraph

Cotton gin

Steamboat

Flying shuttle

Answer 1

The above quote is alluding to the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney.