Where is Charlie standing as this scene takes place?

Charlie is standing on front of his porch.

Explanation:

that was  it in the first sentence of the story.

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.

the anecdote makes readers feel sorry for the man’s lack of heritage, then reminds readers that the man has an equally valuable heritage.