The cotton gin powered the British Industrial Revolution by creating a massive global supply chain.

Patented by Eli Whitney in 1794, the cotton gin automated the separation of seeds from short-staple cotton fibers. This mechanical process was roughly 50 times more efficient than manual labor. The sudden surge in production allowed the American South to meet the insatiable demand of British textile hubs like Manchester, famously known as 'Cottonopolis.'By 1860, the United States was producing over 2 billion pounds of cotton annually, with the vast majority exported to Great Britain. This massive influx of raw material fueled the expansion of the British textile industry, which accounted for nearly 40% of Britain's total exports during the mid-19th century. The sheer volume of trade necessitated the creation of complex global financial systems and shipping networks.The economic interdependence was so strong that British banks like Baring Brothers and Brown Shipley became primary financiers for American plantations. This relationship also drove the development of the steamship industry and the expansion of the Transatlantic telegraph cable. Ultimately, the cotton gin transformed cotton into the world's first truly global commodity, anchoring the industrial growth of the 19th century.