| Of his four children, three survived, including Eli Whitney, Jr., who continued his father's arms manufactory in Hamden, Connecticut. |
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| Eli Whitney responded to the challenge by inventing the inexpensive cotton gin. |
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| There is slight controversy over whether the idea of the modern cotton gin and its constituent elements are correctly attributed to Eli Whitney. |
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| President George Washington approved of the idea, and by 1798 a contract was issued to Eli Whitney for 12,000 muskets built under the new system. |
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| Eli Whitney is generally credited with the idea and the practical application, but both are incorrect attributions. |
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| The milling machine, a fundamental machine tool, is believed to have been invented by Eli Whitney, who was a government contractor who built firearms as part of this program. |
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