Final answer:
Eli Whitney's major contribution to American manufacturing was his development of the concept of interchangeable parts, revolutionizing manufacturing processes of his time and laying the groundwork for modern industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
One of Eli Whitney's major contributions to American manufacturing was his idea for interchangeable parts. This innovation played a crucial role in industrialization. Before the introduction of interchangeable parts, manufacturing was a laborious process where each component had to be individually handcrafted and fitted, making it time-consuming and costly. Whitney’s system allowed for parts to be uniformly produced and easily replaced, significantly streamlining the production process. This concept was not only applied to textile production but was also vital in the mass production of firearms. It paved the way for the modern manufacturing industry, where machines are built with standardized parts, making them more reliable and easier to maintain or repair.
Although Whitney is also widely known for inventing the cotton gin, which transformed the cotton industry and solidified cotton as a key commodity in the global market, it was his development of interchangeable parts that truly revolutionized the way goods were produced. This concept of standardization is still central to manufacturing industries today, such as the production of Tesla cars where robots and software perform complex tasks.