The Price for More




Throughout all of history and in todays society everything comes with a price. Whether its economically or morally nothing is for free. In 1764 the spinning jenny was invented because it could spin more thread in less the amount of time of a human being. Not only was it faster it was cheaper because people did not have to pay individual workers. After the decision was made  to industrialize spinning not long after the mechanical loom was created. From 1800- 1850 a normal 2,4000 looms increased to 24,000 looms thus replacing those made by hand, thus saving more money, time, and labor. These two inventions called for a machine that could clean the cotton faster therefore the cotton gin was created. What used to take a single person 1 pound of cotton cleaned per day increased to 50 pounds of cleaned cotton by machine. All these inventions were to save time, money, and efforts. But the picking process wasn't industrialized until the 1930's. There is around a 100 year gap between when these quick machines were invented and when the machine that actually picked the cotton for the others was created.  So how did they manage to get as much cotton by human hand to keep up with the pace of those fast machines? The solution was pushing the slaves almost to their breaking point. Making people work five times as fast by harsh disciplinary actions, different picking methods (such as learning to be ambidextrous). With such hard treatment towards human beings many may think why not just make a machine that can get the work done faster? The reason was because cotton picking was free labor it didn't come with a "green price". Slaves weren't paid to work harder only beaten if they didn't. Therefore the market had no need for a machine if they were already getting all they needed free. To have a machine created and have to buy it would cost money that not everyone could afford. People were given a choice to beat for more or slowly be run over by the fast moving economy. Though the plantations were having their cotton picked for free it cost the price of human lives. Slaves were beaten, tortured, driven to their last end just so that someone would make a profit. Every decision people make have side effects and consequences just as everything in this world come with a price.

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