Eli Whitney was born on December 8, 1765, in Westboro, Massachusetts. While growing up, he had an affinity for machine work. Even during the revolution, Whitney had created his own invention to make nail to support the war effort. The idea of the cotton gin was thought of while working at Mulberry Grove plantation. This job was offered to him by Catherine Greene in 1792. While on the plantation he soon realized that cotton was a very difficult crop to clean. It took hours, by many people, usually slaves, to clean the cotton. Whitney took the job of finding the cure to the immense amount of work in growing cotton. Over the course of the winter in 1792, he and Greene worked to find a machine that would quickly and efficiently clean the cotton. His device was an instant success, boosting the sale of the cash crop. With his device, workers could produce more cotton in one hour than an entire day by hand.