The Cotton Chronicles explores the growth and use of this versatile natural fiber.
Before modern machinery, such as the cotton gin developed by Eli Whitney, humans picked cotton by hand. They walked through fields, dragging large sacks that could weigh 100 pounds full of mature bolls and seeds. The work was hard and tedious.
The Origin Story of Cotton
The history of cotton is rich and complex, influencing cultures and economies across the globe. Discover how this durable fiber was first cultivated and learn about the modern production process, from harvesting to spinning and weaving.
The cotton plant (Gossypium) is a flowering shrub that prefers tropical and sub-tropical climates to thrive. The fluffy, seed-filled bolls are surrounded by spindly fibers that can be separated from the seeds to leave usable cotton. Until the 1730s, this process was done manually with a lot of labor. The American inventor Eli Whitney developed the cotton gin in 1793, which could separate the seeds from the cotton 10 times faster than manual labor. This greatly increased the amount of fabric that could be produced.
Cotton quickly became an important textile in Europe and the United States. This was due to a variety of factors, including the demand for the material from many regions of the world, the easy availability of raw materials, and the fact that it was easier and cheaper to weave than silk. The plant was a staple in the American South and a major source of income for farmers. Unfortunately, the demand for cotton led to the unethical practice of slavery in the United States and Britain-governed areas.
Today, cotton is still grown around the world and has become one of the most cultivated crops in the world. The cultivation of the plant is labor intensive and requires detailed handling in order to produce high-quality cotton. It is harvested, pressed, and ginned before it is sent to manufacturers for further refinement. The cotton industry is constantly evolving as people are concerned about the environmental impact and sustainability of the product.
Cotton Farming
Cotton is used so often in everything from t-shirts to diapers that it’s easy to forget that it comes from a crop that must be harvested each year. It’s also one of the world’s most energy-intensive crops, and it requires a huge amount of water to grow. Unfortunately, all this water can wreak havoc on delicate ecosystems.
During the industrial revolution that shook 1700s England and fomented the Civil War in 1800s America, the production of cotton was a major industry. It sucked people in from the countryside to work in crowded factories and mills that were noisy, hot, and dusty. This type of labor wasn’t just brutal, but it was also exploitative. Tenants and sharecroppers had to pay rent, supply their own draft animals, tools, and seeds, and only receive half the value of the cotton they picked.
The growth of the cotton industry brought other changes to agriculture. Machines began to replace slaves for harvesting and ginning. New technology was developed to improve efficiency and increase yields. For example, the cotton gin reduced manual labor by combining harvesting and spinning into a single process. It also increased cotton production, allowing cotton to be shipped and sold across the nation and the Atlantic Ocean.
Expanding the cotton market helped integrate the southern US into the American and Atlantic economies. It allowed Northern mills to be supplied with raw cotton from the South, which was processed into textiles. This, in turn, brought the cotton market into more global trade and investment. However, this expansion also accelerated the changing conditions for those who were directly involved in the cotton industry. For example, in 1779, a group of textile workers known as the Luddites rebelled against new machinery that was replacing their handmade skills.
The Cotton Industry and Economy
Cotton is a globally important crop, and it is used for both textiles and food. It has been a source of income for 250 million people across the world. In recent years, prices have been stagnating, increasing the pressure to increase production to drive down costs, which can lead to worse working conditions and rights violations.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the economy of New England was heavily dependent on the Southern cotton system and the slave trade. Early industries like textiles, shipbuilding, and rum manufacturing were all linked to cotton.
The United States rose to market dominance because it had elastic supplies of the three crucial ingredients for cotton production: land, labor, and credit. The land was plentiful in the South, and there were plenty of skilled workers to harvest it. The American Civil War brought the cotton industry to a standstill but resumed growth in the postwar era. A series of inventions and innovations made cotton production more efficient. These included a new plow that more easily broke the thick black soil, barbed wire to deter wild animals from cotton fields, railroads to carry the crops to ports for shipping, the invention of cotton ginning (removing seeds and cleaning the cotton fibers), and the development of cotton compressing at the side of railroad tracks for faster transport.
In the years following the Civil War, the United States became the largest producer of cotton in the world, and its production continued to grow throughout the rest of the century until a devastating pest, the boll weevil, threatened the entire crop. As a result of the boll weevil infestation, many farmers began to diversify their farming operations and switch to other crops.
Sustainability in Cotton Production
Cotton is the world’s most important non-food crop and a key raw material for textiles of all kinds. Its versatility makes it an important part of our wardrobes and everyday lives, but is it sustainable?
Unfortunately, conventional cotton production is a water-thirsty and high-input crop, and it can lead to significant environmental damage. Intensive farming methods require the use of chemical pesticides that contaminate ground and surface water, and synthetic fertilizers cause significant greenhouse gas emissions. These chemicals also can drift into nearby fields, polluting the ecosystem and causing harm to people.
In addition, child labor is a serious problem throughout the cotton production process and can contribute to long-term poverty in communities. While recent improvements have been made, the cotton industry is still working to eliminate child labor and bonded servitude.
The cultivation of cotton also requires a lot of water, which is especially challenging in countries facing water stress. According to the Common Objective organization, the global average water footprint of cotton is 2,235 m3 per kilogram of fibers, with 82% of this consumption coming from irrigation and ginning. This is significantly higher than other fiber crops, such as jute and flax, which require less water.
To reduce these impacts, the cotton industry is working to increase water-use efficiency through precision agriculture and other harvesting techniques while implementing innovations in processing and production. In addition, a growing number of consumers are opting for sustainable cotton products. This is partly due to the rising popularity of cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessments, which can help quantify environmental impacts at every stage of a product’s life, from raw materials to end-of-life disposal.
Cotton in Fashion
Cotton is a ubiquitous fabric that makes up more than a third of the world’s textiles. It’s used in everyday garments, like t-shirts and socks, as well as high-end fashion, including dresses and suits. It also goes into home and industrial products, such as wipes and filters. The cotton industry is huge and has a massive impact on the global economy and trade.
Cotton production is tied to a variety of environmental and social issues. Learn about the different types of cotton and sustainable and organic cotton farming practices. Find out about initiatives aimed at reducing water and pesticide use.
The crop was independently domesticated in many places around the world, including the northern Andes (Incas), Mesoamerica (Mayas), India, Pakistan, and China. It was a valuable luxury commodity in ancient times and grew best in warm climates. Today, it is mainly grown in tropical and subtropical regions.
Before the invention of the cotton gin, enslaved people picked cotton by hand. This work often lasted from sunrise to sunset with only a ten-minute break for lunch. It was backbreaking and often painful work, requiring skilled pickers to harvest 200 to 300 pounds of cotton per day. Enslaved people also had to tend their fields and livestock and perform other chores.
Modern cotton mills are clean and use quiet machines. But the old cotton mills that still exist, such as those in India and England, were noisy and dirty places filled with inhalable dust and lint and workers performing mind-numbing and body-destroying chores. They were the engines of a massive industrial revolution.
