Fulton’s Steamboat
Are you a creative person or do you know someone creative? Maybe someone who can draw, paint, or play musical instruments? Creative people make our lives better by inventing things!
How did Robert Fulton use his creativity to help others?
Did Robert Fulton give up when things got tough?
After America became independent from Great Britain in 1776, many people started moving to the new nation. The population was growing, and new communities were forming. People were leaving their homes to explore new places, often going south and west to claim their own land. Back then, traveling was not easy. Today, we can easily visit family or go shopping by hopping into a car, taking a bus, or flying on an airplane. But in the early 1800s, it was a whole different story.
How would your life change if you were unable to use a car, bus or train to travel?
In 1798, the Mississippi Territory was created, and in 1803, the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France. Rivers like the Mississippi were important for moving people and goods. The problem was that it took a very long time to travel using flat-bottomed boats called keelboats. These boats could float downstream with the current, but going upstream was tough. People had to use long poles (oars) to push the boats against the current. This made it hard to transport things and stay connected with family and friends. People needed a better way to travel on the river.
How would faster travel impact communities near the Mississippi River?
The solution came from a creative thinker named Robert Fulton. But before he became famous for his invention, he had other dreams. Robert was born on a Pennsylvania farm on November 14, 1765. His father was a farmer, but things didn’t go well, so they moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Robert’s father passed away not long after the move.
Robert was a talented artist who painted signs and worked as an apprentice with a jeweler. He painted lockets and pendants, and he even went to Europe to study art. Despite painting a portrait of Benjamin Franklin and having some works accepted by the Royal Academy in London, he didn’t find lasting success as an artist.
What are two difficult events that Robert Fulton had to overcome?
