Final answer:
The primary incentive for the invention of the cotton gin was to efficiently meet the growing demand for raw cotton by English textile mills, maximizing profits from the widely cultivated short staple cotton and solidifying cotton as a dominant economic crop in the U.S.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main incentive for the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 was to increase the efficiency of cotton production to meet the growing demand for raw cotton in English textile mills and to maximize profits from cotton, specifically the less valuable but more widely cultivated short staple cotton. This innovation made it possible to clean the seeds from the raw cotton much more quickly and efficiently, facilitating the dominance of short staple cotton in the market and significantly increasing cotton production. Prior to its invention, soil depletion by tobacco and the need for a new profitable crop were also factors, but the primary driver was the economic opportunity presented by the burgeoning textile industry.
As the international market's demand for cotton grew, American planters sought to profitably supply these mills with raw cotton, recognizing the attendant economic benefits. The gin's success led to the United States producing approximately 68 percent of the world's cotton by mid-century, giving rise to the term "King Cotton" and positioning cotton as a key crop driving the nation's economy and expansion into the Old Southwest. However, the rise of cotton agriculturally reinforced the institution of slavery in the South, leading to significant social and cultural ramifications that would culminate in the Civil War.