On this day, March 14, in 1794

Eli Whitney patented the Cotton Gin. The Cotton Gin, a machine that quickly separated cotton from the seeds inside, greatly sped up cotton production and increased demand for the plant. As a result, the African slave trade in America, which had been losing popularity, saw a resurgence and the slave population increased by millions. Although Whitney is given credit for the invention of the Cotton Gin, there is evidence that the true inventor was actually a slave. Slaves, who were not even considered full human-beings, had no rights to patents.