Answer:
A basic cotton gin on a plantation required one man to be operated.
Explanation:
Eli Whitney (1765-1825) invented a machine that would revolutionize the production of cotton in America: the cotton gin. He invented this machine in 1793. In 1794, he was granted a patent, but it was not until 1807 that it was validated. Before that, growing cotton and separating fiber from seeds had demanded strenuous physical labor. Whitney’s cotton gin required just one man to be operated if it was small, or a man and a horse if it was larger, as it was harnessed to the animal. It was able to clean around 50 pounds of lint a day.
