Complex sentence: Following invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, cotton production surpassed that of tobacco in the South and became the dominant cash crop.At the time of the American Civil War, Southern plantations generated 75% of the world's cotton supply.
Split into simpler sentences: Following invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, cotton production surpassed that of tobacco in the South and became the dominant cash crop. Yafa (2004) At the time of the American Civil War, Southern plantations generated 75% of the world's cotton supply.