A 1890 magazine article by Edward Craig Bates on the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney. It reviews the English spinning and weaving inventions that created demand for raw cotton, Whitney's youth and his work in Georgia in 1792-93, how the gin works, and the patent litigation that followed. It ends with the gin's effect on cotton production statistics and on the growth of slavery, plus a closing note with a letter from Whitney's son. Illustrated with a portrait of Whitney, a model of the gin, and a 'Picking Cotton' scene.