Constellation Similarity Assertions

Eli Whitney was born in Westborough, Massachusetts in 1765. Even as a child he showed an aptitude for mechanical work, repairing violins and taking on other mechanical work as it presented itself. Whitney set up shop making nails and when the demand for nails declined, he changed his business to manufacture hat pins, a commodity with increasing demand. Whitney eventually enrolled at Yale College in May 1789, and graduated three years later. He intended to further his education and become a lawyer. While studying the law, Whitney applied for a job as a tutor for Mrs. Nathanael Greene just outside of Savannah, Georgia. When he arrived at Mulberry Grove Plantation, he discovered that someone else had already been hired. Mrs. Greene asked Whitney to stay at Mulberry Grove as her guest, and in return he began repairing machinery around the property. During his stay at Mulberry Grove, Whitney learned that plantation owners were looking for some method to make the farming of short staple cotton more profitable. Whitney and Phineas Miller formed a partnership and Whitney developed the cotton gin and patented his invention on March 14, 1794. Whitney and Miller tried to build a monopoly in the cotton gin market by not selling their machines, but rather by ginning the cotton themselves. Unfortunately, several other machines very similar to Whitney's became available on the market and Whitney and Miller struggled with the battle over patent rights. While working on protecting his patent for the cotton gin, Whitney sought new avenues to make money. He received an order to manufacture ten thousand firearms for the United States military. Whitney was poised to break new ground in manufacturing. His process for the manufacture of these firearms proved to be revolutionary. His system involved using interchangeable parts for the firearms, meaning the same parts would work on different guns, a process that revolutionized modern manufacturing.

From the description of Eli Whitney letters and detail drawings 1792-1890 (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 166503966

...

View Constellation