Eli Whitney is important in American history because of his great contributions to the machinery industry and the creation of the wonderful cotton gin (gin is short for engine), starting with the cotton gin. He increased the flow of productivity with machinery to show just how imperative mass production is in a speedy industry; just imagine what life would be like were everything to be handcrafted. The development of the cotton gin made America see just how much space for improvement there is, and this filled the first inch of it. Although only an inch, it was an inch more than ever before.

The simple inventions Eli Whitney drew up may be argued to have augmented themselves into the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution contained hundreds of improvements on previous methods and labor saving devices; but the fact remains, Eli Whitney's ingenuity has struck upon a...