In this video, students will see both long-staple  and short-staple cotton fibers processed in a roller gin and saw gin model similar to that patented by Eli Whitney, to better understand the impact of the cotton gin on cotton production in the U.S.  Short staple cotton, with short fibers that stick to the seeds inside, was the type of cotton grown in most of the American south. This video does not include sound, but can be used with the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation resource packet, Whole Cloth.