Why did the cotton gin lead to slaves becoming more valuable then without the cotton gin?

The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, revolutionized the processing of cotton by significantly increasing the speed at which cotton could be cleaned of its seeds. This efficiency made cotton a highly profitable cash crop, leading to a surge in demand for labor to cultivate and harvest it. As plantation owners sought to maximize their profits, the value of enslaved individuals rose sharply, as they were essential to managing and laboring on the increasingly expansive cotton plantations. Consequently, the cotton gin directly contributed to the entrenchment and expansion of slavery in the Southern United States.