Brief Summary: Eli Whitney's Life And Education

Eli Whitney was born on a farm in Westboro, Massachusetts, on December 8, 1765. Whitney's Mother, Elizabeth Fay, died of a heart attack in the year 1777. At the age 14 Eli ran a nail manufacturing operation that ended up being very profitable. He had sold nails from his Dad’s workshop during the Revolutionary War. Because Eli’s stepmother didn’t support his wish to attend college, he worked as a farm laborer and a school teacher to save up money. Eli then prepared to go to Yale at Leicester Academy. Whitney was able to attend Yale thanks to Reverend Elizur Goodrich of Durham, Connecticut for being Eli Whitney’s guardian and letting his enter the class of 1789 and graduate Phi Beta Kappa in 1792. Eli wanted to study law once he had gotten out