Document Five reinforced the idea that technological advancements supplemented the continuity of Southern societal patterns. Eli Whitney's cotton gin lowered the cost of producing cotton fiber. This lowered cost of production and maximized the profit achievable from producing cotton. This increase to profit from cotton farming reinvigorated cotton farming across the South which increased the need for slaves to work these plantations. This supplemented the continuity of the Southern way of life utilizing slaves as a labor