During the period between 1790 and 1850, the United States was rapidly changing. It was now a separate country with its own economy, laws, and government. The country was learning to live on its own, apart from England. There began to appear a rift between North and South. The North believing in the Puritan Merchant role model, and the South in the role model of the English Country Squire. The North traded with everyone, while the South traded primarily with England. The major crop in the South was tobacco, and because of the decline in the price of tobacco the slave trade was dying, just as those in the North hoped it would. Then came a man, and an invention, which changed the course of history. In 1792, Eli Whitney visited the plantation of Catherine Greene, the wife of Revolutionary War general, Nathaniel Greene, near Savannah Georgia. He watched cotton being cleaned; a very long and time consuming process to do by hand. Watching the cotton being cleaned an idea came to Whitney. He decided he would build a machine that would clean cotton faster than it could be done by hand. Thus, he created the cotton gin.

This invention changed the way the South functioned, and the rippl

In conclusion, the most important invention, and more importantly, the most important event between 1790 and 1850 was Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin. Its invention led to a rejuvenation in slavery breathing new life into the South, and in the country economy as a whole. With this rejuvenation came problems between North and South over moral differences. These differences created a rift that widened until sectionalism overtook nationalism. This rift was temporarily closed several times but ultimately the differences between North and South were so ingrained in their respective culture that it took a war to change. The wide and far-reaching effects of this event can be viewed as a pond, the country, when a pebble is thrown into it the ripples become larger and larger until they come in contact with something that can stop them. As the proverb says, "A butterfly that flaps its wings in China can cause a hurricane in Kansas."

Another important event is the movement that emerged in the North as a backlash against the Southern slavery. The abolitionist movement or the movement to abolish slavery, developed in the North once it was realized that slavery would not die, but instead had to be destroyed. The abolitionist argued that slavery was morally wrong, and that it degraded human society. This caused a great stir in the 1830's and 1840's. By this time the invention of the cotton gin had so firmly entrenched slavery in the South, it had become a part of the culture and society. Slaves went from being people to objects, and slavery went from being a moral wrong, but an economic necessity to a good. The South viewed slavery as a part of their society, both social and economic, and that it brought them together. Without Eli Whitney's cotton gin this idea never would have taken hold. A rift in morality had begun to occur, and the cotton gin's harmless origins had begun to spiral into a conflict between North and South.

e effect it created changed the course of history forever. The ripple effect caused by Eli Whitney's cotton gin can be seen as the driving force behind many of the conflicts between North and South, and eventually culminating in the Civil War. Before Eli Whitney's invention, slavery was dying in the South. The price of tobacco had plummeted, and planters were freeing slaves because of the high cost of feeding, housing and clothing them. When Eli Whitney introduced his invention the cotton market exploded. Cotton began to be grown in enormous quantities because it was good for making clothes, and with the invention of the cott

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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)