Eli Whitney Inventor of the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney was born on December 8, 1765, in the little town of Westborough, Massachusetts. ... Whitney was a big person and weighed a little less than three hundred pounds. Eli his oldest son, was larger than an average baby and his parents were proud of that. ... Whitney and his spouse, Elizabeth, had three other children: Elizabeth, Benjamin, and Josiah. ... The workshop was the place Eli loved best of all the places in the farm. ... Eli sat down with watch in one hand and screwdriver in other. ... Eli learned how to make and repair farm tools. ... Eli hated to go to school. ... When Eli was twelve, his mother died. ... Eli hated her, so he more time than ever in the workshop. In 1776, when Eli was eleven, war had begun between England and America. ... Eli saw his chance to fill this need and make some money. ... Whitney bought a forge, and Eli started a small nail business. ... Eli planed to become a lawyer, but a lawyer needed a good education and the Whitney family did not have much money with eight mouths to feed. Eli had to earn money himself. ... Eli was twenty-three when he entered Yale Collage. The president of the collage discovered Eli was a mechanical genius when he repaired a fragile instrument that had been broken in shipment from England.