The Story of Cotton

 

When Robert Greg was putting in power looms in 1836, cotton had become a lot more important and needed than wool. Why is this you might ask? Let me explain for you. Between the years 1750 and 1850, the number of people had increased from 10.7 million to 27.4 million. Therefore the demand for textile was increasing and more and more, so more and more of it was made.

When North America became independent, it started to trade with Britain. New cotton plantations were becoming more and more successful. In 1793, an inventer called Eli Whitney invented a 'cotton gin' which helped slaves make cotton up to 50 times faster than before.  In the 18th century, people were a lot richer than before and wanted to have and buy nice new clothes. The demand in cotton just kept on growing. Britain had also become the worlds leading trading nation. Ships sailed across the world, full of goods and nearly half of them were stocked with cotton.