Steamboats Essay

The Steamboat was a very influential invention in the 19th century. Not only did it revolutionize the economy, but the social life and character of the American people. Although eventually replaced by advancing technology, Steamboats were extremely helpful in propelling America to the forefront of Industry.

The lasting imprint left upon America left by the steamboat was monumental. The Steamboat was a result of the invention of James Watt’s Steam Engine (“The History of Steamboats”). The idea to apply this new invention to a nautical vessel was first brought up by John Fitch in 1787 (“Steamboat”).Although he obtained a patent and built four different prototypes, his attempts were unsuccessful. The idea had been brought to light, but remained unsuccessfully developed until Robert Livingston and Robert Fulton tackled the challenge.

The Steamboat turned one way rivers into two way streets. This was extremely appealing to the economic industry because they could deliver goods at an increased rate. For example, Factories in Pittsburgh could now utilize steamboats to deliver goods all the way down the Mississippi river and back in less than half the time (“Transportation Revolution of the 19th”).

The way the Steamboat accomplished this goal was its ingenious utilization of the steam engine. Steamboats burned coal, an abundant natural resource in America, to power the engines.They also carried extra masts and sails just in case the engine failed. This allowed the steamboats to travel about eight miles per hour downstream and three miles per hour upstream (“The History of Steamboats”). This may seem incredibly slow compared to modern boats, but compared to the fact that they could not even manage to get upstream, three miles per hour was impressive. The development of canals allowed wide spread inland usage of the steamboat.

These served as trade cities and rest stops along the way to the western frontier. It also allowed for easy transportation to California for the gold rush. The trip past the tip of South America took about six months, but it was reduced to about three months. All of these aspects created an invention that was of great use to America.

Without the steamboat, American industry would have severely lacked, western cities wouldn’t had rapidly developed and the settlement of the most western part of America would had never been as large as it was.