Silvio Porco Chris Dunn Jack Edwards

1. Cotton Silvio Porco Chris Dunn Jack Edwards Photos by Fabrics.net

2. The Origins of Cotton • An early form of cotton evolved separately on almost every continent. • The cotton we use today was the product of two of these different species meeting. • It is unclear exactly how two different forms of cotton plants reached each other from different continents.

3. Chemical Composition • Cotton is almost pure Cellulose. • 95% Cellulose • 1.3% Protein • 1.2% Ash • 0.6% Wax • 0.3% Sugar • 0.8% Various Organic Acids

4. Chemical Composition • Glucose is the basic monomer of cellulose. • Carbohydrate Sugar • C6H12O6 • Monomers are individual parts of a molecule. • A single strand of cotton could have 10.000 glucose monomers per molecule. Photo by www.encyclopedia.com/

5. Cotton’s Structure • Five main factors of cotton’s structure: • Length • Distinctive Parts • Convolutions • Fineness • Color Photo by www.outdoors.org/

6. Length • Length is the main factor to determine cotton quality. • The longer the cotton fiber, the stronger the cotton. • Cotton length is calculated by finding the average length of the fibers within a sample.

7. Distinctive Parts • Cotton has 4 distinctive parts: • The cuticle • Primary Wall • Secondary Wall • Lumen • Cuticle is the outermost layer while the lumen is the core of a cotton fiber.

8. Convolutions • Convolutions are ribbon-like twists and patterns within a cotton fiber. • Help to characterize cotton into more specific categories. • Has less of an impact on the quality of cotton.

9. Fineness • Fineness in cotton’s shape varies with maturity. • Cotton Boll- The rounded seed capsule of plants, such as cotton. • Can contain immature fibers that create problems when processing cotton. • Micronaire- A measurement of cotton’s fineness and maturity.

10. Color • The color of cotton can have an impact on specific properties it will demonstrate. • Creamy white cotton is most commonly produced for printing and dyeing. • Cotton color can change as it ages or by being moistened right before harvest.

11. Early Humans • Shreds and references of cotton have been discovered to be at least 7000 years old. • Discoveries were made in parts the current countries of India as well Mexico. • Archaeologists and Scientists have concluded that cotton was independently domesticated in both the Old and New Worlds.

12. The Spread of Cotton • Main cotton cultivation began in the Indus Valley in modern day India. • From this point, it spread to parts of Africa and Asia. • Native Americans in North America soon began cultivating cotton as well. • Cotton became widespread in Europe by 800 A.D, mainly due to Arabic Merchants. • By 1500, cotton was known all over the world.

13. Cotton Culture Photo from (http://about.hm.com) • Massive impact on culture throughout the years. • Industrial Revolution in Britain. • Southern slave based economy.

14. Industrial Revolution (Britain) • Made Britain the world’s first real cotton superpower. • Had the world’s first cotton factory. • Powered their factories by hydroelectricity. Wye river (Image from http://www.rspb.org.uk)

15. Industrial Revolution (Britain) • Liverpool was a key port. • Used a massive work force to occupy the factories. • Imported raw cotton and transformed it into usable materials.

16. Cotton Agriculture • Cotton was the main crop harvested in the south. • Cotton seeds were very tough and time consuming to pick out. • Eli Whitney created the cotton gin which revolutionized the cotton industry.

17. The Cotton Gin • The invention of the cotton gin made the harvesting of cotton much simpler. • Jump started the economy in the south.

18. Economics of Cotton • Ever since the human discovery of cotton, it has played a large role in our economy. • Cotton currently controls the linen industry. • Countless products today are made with cotton.

19. Cotton in the U.S. • The industrial revolution crated thousands of jobs opportunities for Americans. • Abundance of cotton led to advanced textile factories in the north. • These factories needed many workers. Photo by www.thinkquest.com/

20. Cotton Conflict • Slavery is the most prominent issue that cotton was involved with. • The Civil War was mainly caused by slavery due to the need for cotton workers.

21. Slavery • Cotton farming did not require slaves. • Southern plantation owners saw slavery as the most efficient method to farm cotton. • The south wished to expand slavery west while the north sharply disagreed. • This tension eventually rose enough to spark the Civil War.

22. Additional Conflict • Cotton is also related to the underage working issues in the late 1800’s. • Textile mills in Great Britain and the U.S. began hiring young children as workers in the factories. • Cotton production had grow enough to require a larger industry.

23. Cotton Factory Conditions • The conditions for young textile workers were terrible. • Longer Hours • Less Pay • Poor Lighting • No Heat or Air Conditioning • Children were frequently replaced if they acted out in any way.

24. Labor Strikes • There were frequent labor strikes for women and children. • Almost all of them were stopped rapidly. • Members of the strikes would be quickly dismissed and replaced. • Eventually the rights for women and children began to increase, along with working conditions and pay.

25. Modern Cotton • Cotton has never been more widely used than it is today. • It is used for a plethora of products, mainly clothing. • It has many other uses as well.

26. Modern Cotton • Other Cotton Uses: • Medical Products • Gauze • Wraps • Cleaning Products • Wipes • Toilet paper, etc. Photo by www.wikipedia.com/

27. Modern Cotton • It is almost impossible to go an entire day without using cotton in some way or another. • We have integrated cotton very seamlessly into our everyday life.

28. Works Cited • "Cotton." Archeaology.com. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013. <http://archaeology.about.com/od/cterms/a/Cotton>. • "Structure of Carbohydrates." Biotopics. N.p.. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.biotopics.co.uk/as/glucose2.html>. • "Project Cotton." cotton.Missouri.edu. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013. <http://cotton.missouri.edu/>. • "Cotton- A Natural Fiber." English-Online.at. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013. <http://www.english-online.at/biology/cotton/>.

29. Works Cited • "Dictionary." References. N.p.. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://dictionary.reference.com/>. • "The Story of Cotton." Cotton.org. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013. <http://www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncounts/story/>. • "Cotton." Wikipedia.com. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton>. • "Cotton Culture." us-history.com. N.p.. Web. 16 Apr 2013. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h286.html>.

30. Works Cited • "Cotton Culture." National Park Services. N.p.. Web. 16 Apr 2013. <http://www.cr.nps.gov/goldcres/cultural/plantcotton>. • "Cotton." TradingEconomics.com. N.p.. Web. 16 Apr 2013. <http://www.tradingeconomics.com/cotton>. • "Civil War History: Cotton." CivilWar.org. N.p.. Web. 16 Apr 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/resources/civil-war>. • "Global Future Solution." CottonToday.com. N.p.. Web. 16 Apr 2013. <http://cottontoday.cottoninc.com/>.

31. Works Cited • "Textile Fabrics Today." Articlesbase.com. N.p.. Web. 16 Apr 2013. <http://www.articlesbase.com/clothing-articles/>. • "The Future of Cotton." Gizmag.com. N.p.. Web. 15 Apr 2013. <http://www.gizmag.com/future-of-cotton/17077/>. • Masters, Nancy. The Cotton Gin (Inventions That Shaped the World). Scholastic, 2006. Print. • Smith, Wayne, and Cothren, Tom. Cotton: Origin, History, Technology, and Production. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999. Print.