Explain this quote in your own words. "frequently gave a 'false' impression of wisdom - one that did not rightfully represent the wisdom of the argument of its author."

My best interpretation of the quote would be that someone is deliberately misinterpreting someone else and twisting their words and meaning.

From the quote, "...a false impression of wisdom, that does not represent the argument of the author", it is quite clear that a person is deliberately acting unaware of the meaning of the words of a person or twisting the words and meanings.

eli whitney was an american inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. this was one of the key inventions of the industrial revolution and shaped the economy of the antebellum south.