From Google images

1. “John Fitch: Invention of The Steamboat/ August 22,1787 ” By Avi Sardana/Columbus Magnet School/Congressional District 4 From Google images The era of the steamboat started in America 1787, when John Fitch made a successful trial of the steamboat on the Delaware River on August 22,1787. He was in the presence of the Constitutional Convention, who were watching his trial.

2. Importance of the Steamboat • The invention of the “Steamboat” was very important, as it carried passengers and freight, got used as locomotion, and successfully plied through rough rivers and lakes. • This was very important as it was easier to carry freight from one place to another, and was a good use for locomotion. • Some of the parts of the “Steamboat” were ranked paddles, paddlewheels, and screw propellers. These parts helped the “Steamboat” travel fast so it could drop off its passengers and deliver its freight. • The “Steamboat” was about 45 feet long, so it could carry a lot of passengers at a time. ‘ Society then ’ - The times the “Steamboat” was made in, were very different from modern times. The people who lived in those times, had different kinds of clothes, different names for clothes, they had to grow their food, they ate different types of food than in modern times, they had different kinds of jobs than in modern times, their houses were very small, and had about one room, and the schools were mainly for boys to go to, but the girls went as well, but got less education. The scientists weren’t very sure what caused certain diseases, women and men that didn’t have land couldn’t vote, sanitation was very bad back then, religion was one of the most important things, and there were different kinds of inventions such as the oil lamp, Smallpox vaccinations (Smallpox is a disease), and the discovery of conservation of mass. These are the big differences in society from back then, and from modern society. Picture of John Fitch and his “Steamboat”. From Google images

3. How Did The Steamboat Change Society • The “Steamboat” changed society in those times because it was a better ship than regular ships. • This made it safer to travel and deliver things. • This was because regular ships had to rely on wind and water current to move them, but the “Steamboat” provided itself with its own energy. • It was hard for regular ships to go upstream, as they had to mainly rely on the wind and the water current. But as for the “Steamboat”, it relied on its own energy, so it was easier to go upstream. The “Steamboat” made things better for people because it was a better way of transportation, as it was faster to travel from place to place. It also made things better for people because it helped to deliver freight faster. Another reason this invention was helpful was because of the size of the “Steamboat”. It was pretty big, so it carried more passengers at a time. This helped people because they would have to wait for a shorter amount of time to ride the “Steamboat”. From Google Im From Google images From Google images

4. How Is “Steamboat” Important Today 1.Steam technology allowed national, local, and state economy to grow. 2. It offered thrilling adventures. 3. It prompted a movement to make improvements to the river system. 4. Ensured that the crops that they were delivering, wouldn’t get spoiled before they reached their destination. 5. One of the best reasons was the rise of associated industries. These industries included shipbuilding, fuel, insurance, and repair facilities. These are most of the reasons the “Steamboat” was important in the twenty-first century. From Google images

5. My Thoughts about the “Steamboat and its Impact” I think the advent of steamboat travel in the early 1800s improved lives in America greatly. The steamboat was particularly advantageous to manufacturing, as now the importing and exporting of goods became much more efficient and possible. The steamboat also opened up a method of transportation for exploration. The Demise of the Steamboat- Largely in part due to other advancements in transportation, by the early 1900s, steamboats became obsolete due to the invention of the automobile and airplane. These methods were more convenient and faster, and river travel on a steamboat could be dangerous. Without the steamboat, however, America may not have experienced the ease of trade for travel, or its westward expansion in quite the same way. Today, few steamboats travel the waterways of the United States, but the time when the steamboat did rule waterways ,it was considered an extremely important piece of American history. This invention has impacted our lives too, as there is much ease in travelling with less travel time and more convenience From Google images

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY • About.Com/ Inventors • Wikipedia • Pbs.org • Trenton history.org • Google Images