Eli Whitney cotton gin, machine for cleaning cotton of its seeds, invented in the United States by Eli Whitney in 1793.A cotton gin – meaning "cotton engine" – is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.
Irish immigrants of this period participated in significant numbers in the American Revolution, leading one British major general to testify at the House of Commons that “half the rebel Continental Army were from Ireland.” ... Beginning with Andrew Jackson, many Irish Americans served as President of the United States.