Eli Whitney: Great American Inventor Eli Whitney was a great American inventor. He was also a well-known manufacturer, craftsman and pioneer. He is best known for inventing the cotton gin. Many also know him for his production of interchangeable parts for weapons. Both of these accomplishments had a profound impact on American history and brought fame to a humble farmer's son who always did his best and held on to his dreams. Eli Whitney was born in Westboro, Massachusetts on December 8, 1765. He was the eldest of four born to Elizabeth Fay and Eli Whitney. His mother died when Eli was twelve years old. Eli senior was a farmer and, like many at the time, had a shop in which he maintained tools and other things necessary for farm life. Eli learned to use his father's variety of tools at an early age and loved working in the shop. He never showed any interest in agricultural work, but was greatly mechanically inclined. As a boy he had seen a violin and had made a beautiful one. He was also able to dismantle his father's watch and completely reassemble the delicate mechanisms in perfect working order. He was constantly fixing and creating things, and as word of his cunning spread, he often fixed things for neighbors and friends too. (Cannon, 1963) Eli was well known as a mechanical repair genius in his hometown, and he soon began to make an impact on a broader horizon. Eli was just a teenager when the Revolutionary War broke out. Because manufacturing was focused on producing weapons and supplies for battle, and because trade with England had been cut off, a great need for nails arose. Eli's keen business acumen and vision to help his country led him to come up with a plan to produce nails himself. He had saved a few dollars from his little projects and with his father's help he had set up a forge in the workshop. His nails were in high demand and after working alone for a while he encountered problems with mass production. He decided to hire someone to help him, so he borrowed his father's horse and stayed away for three days looking for a man. During his forty mile journey Eli gathered information about mass production and found a man who worked for him for three months.