Name: edHelper Robert Fulton and the Steamboat

Robert Fulton was a man of vision. He became interested in the possibilities that a steamboat could create from a very early age. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1765. The story is told that he visited a family friend in 1777, and that is where his interest in steamboats began. He would have been only twelve years old. The Fulton's family friend had visited England. While he was there, he saw a demonstration of a new invention. It was a steam engine developed by a man named Watt. When he returned from England, he made his own version of the engine. His idea was to put it into a boat.

Why would anyone want to put a steam engine into a boat? Maybe this explanation will help. Can you whistle? What is it that makes the whistling sound? It is air being forced through your lips. Have you ever heard a tea kettle whistle? What makes that whistling sound? Boiling water has turned to steam and that steam is forcing its way through the top of the kettle. It has quite a force. It doesn't stop when it runs out of breath like your whistle does. As long as the water is boiling and steam is being produced, that energy will last. If you have ever tried to move an object upstream against a current of water, you know that it would take a lot of energy. Inventors reasoned that if they could invent a powerful enough steam engine, they would be able to move boats up the rivers against the current as well as down with the current.

Robert Fulton grew up to be a talented painter. He even went to Paris, France, to study art. He didn't forget his fascination with the steam engine. While studying in Europe, Fulton was able to see firsthand many of the experiments other inventors were doing with the steam engine. He developed their inventions even further by experimenting with submarines and torpedoes. This was back in 1783! His desire to create a boat powered by steam that could be used to carry goods against a river current completely overshadowed his interest in art. By 1803, he had successfully designed a steamboat that sailed up the Seine River in France against the current.

Fulton made the plans for a new steam engine. He designed and built the hull of a ship himself. In 1806, Fulton's first American paddle steamboat made its appearance. Many people say that this boat was named the Clermont. Fulton referred to it as the North River Steamboat. On August 17, 1807, the Clermont left New York City carrying a full load of goods. It made the trip to Albany, New York. It traveled a distance of one hundred fifty miles in thirty-two hours. Shipping goods to distant places had just become much easier. He patented his design in 1809.

At this time in history, another shipping route was becoming more important. The Mississippi River was a doorway to the Gulf of Mexico and all of the cities in Middle America to the Gulf Coast. Going from north to south on the river was not a real problem. It was getting goods from the south to the north, upstream, that caused the most problems. Development of a steam engine strong enough to guide boats up the Mississippi opened up a Name: edHelper whole new world of trade to the growing number of settlers in the region. In 1820, there were about sixty of Fulton's steamboats which regularly traveled the Mississippi. By 1860, that number had grown to over one thousand.

Robert Fulton did not invent the steam engine or the steamboat. He did have the vision to adapt these new inventions to the need in a new country. His vision helped create a new, more modern way of life.

Robert Fulton and the Steamboat Questions

1. Robert Fulton invented the steam engine. A. true B. false 2. What did Robert Fulton study for his career? A. painting B. inventing C. shipping D. sailing 3. What makes it hard for a boat to go up river? A. rocks B. currents C. debris D. storms 4. Did Fulton's steamboats move fast or slow? How do you know?

5. How would steamboats help the economy of the new America?

6. Why do you think the number of steamboats on the Mississippi River increased so much between 1820 and 1860? A. Population of people increased in that area, and more supplies were needed. B. Steamboats became cheaper and more affordable. Name: edHelper 7. Which of these choices best fits the meaning of the word "vision" as used in the last paragraph? A. something seen in a dream B. eyesight C. a beautiful or pleasing sight D. farsightedness 8. Why was the steamboat important on the Mississippi River? edHelper Name: How many of these can you write about? Think! Write! Check all the ones you answered. Have you ever dropped a stick or leaf into a stream or river? What happens to it? What makes that happen? How could you make your object go back in the opposite direction? Why would fast boats be important to a country's economy?

Don't stop writing. Use a blank piece of paper to continue.