Bill Bryson: The Cotton Gin and Cotton Demand Drove Expansion of Slavery and Child Labor
Bill Bryson, British-American author and journalist
Mmerikani’s Substack consists of sourced, edifying quotes in a dual-language format (Swahili & English). I am a Quaker, runner, and was formally trained in Swahili.
[Scroll down for the English]
KISWAHILI
“Kabla ya [mlipuko wa pamba kama zao la faida kubwa], utumwa ulikuwa unapungua nchini Marekani, lakini [baada ya uvumbuzi wa kinu cha kuchambulia pamba] kulikuwa na haja kubwa ya wafanyakazi kwa sababu kuchuma pamba kulibakia kuwa kazi ya mikono shadidi sana. Wakati wa uvumbuzi wa Whitney, utumwa ulikuwepo katika majimbo sita tu; kwa kuzuka kwa Vita vya Wenyewe kwa Wenyewe [kwenye Marekani] ilikuwa halali katika kumi na tano….
“Wakati huo huo, viwanda vya pamba vilivyokuwa vya Uingereza kwenye sitawi ghafla vilihitaji idadi kubwa ya wafanyikazi—zaidi ya idadi ya watu peke yake ingeweza kutoa—kwa hivyo waligeuka kizidi kutumia ajira ya watoto...."
- Bill Bryson, mwandishi wa Uingereza-Marekani na mwanahabari anayejulikana kwa uandishi wake wa maarifa yenye ukweli kuhusu sayansi, historia, na lugha ya Kiingereza.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
“Before [the explosion of cotton as a lucrative crop], slavery had been in decline in the United States, but [after the invention of the cotton gin] there was a great need for labor because picking cotton remained extremely labor-intensive. At the time of Whitney’s invention slavery existed in just six states; by the outbreak of the Civil War [in the U.S.] it was legal in fifteen….
“At the same time, the booming cotton mills of England needed huge numbers of workers—more than population alone could easily provide—so increasingly they turned to child labor….”
- Bill Bryson, British-American author and journalist known for his insightful non-fiction writing on science, history, and the English language.
Chanzo (source): Bryson, Bill. At Home: A Short History of Private Life. New York: Doubleday, 2010, pages 396-397.