Eli Whitney a U-S born inventor patented an invention called the cotton gin in 1794. The cotton gin revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. By the mid 19th century, cotton had become America's leading export. Despite the success of the cotton gin Whitney saw little wealth from the invention due to patent infringement issues.His invention also offered southern planters a justification to maintain and expand slavery even as a growing number of Americans wanted it abolished. Due to his reputation for creating the cotton gin he later secured a major contract to build muskets for the U.S. government in which he promoted the idea of interchangeable parts that made assembly faster and for easier repair.<span />
