Section I: Introduction
The start of the 19th century initiated a period of unprecedented growth and advancement in every aspect of Western Civilization. Yet one of the most important areas of change was the advancement of societies communication and transportation technology. Today almost every form of transportation and communication is a development from the 19th century like the telephone and automobile and has made our world modern. Yet often the technology affected regions differently and every country focused on a different type. In the United States one of the most important transportation technologies was that of the Steamship because it decreased the sheer space of the country and allowed for population and economic expansion. Initially developed in the late 18th century, the steamship would eventually become one of Americas preeminent transportations technologies and undergo various developments. The steamship was overall one of the most important technologies in United States history because not only did it allow expansion west and make it faster, but it also allowed for the use of the American river system, helping America become a great power.
Section II: Steamship Development
It was in 1769 that the first actual steam engine was made, created by James Watt who single handily started the Age of Steam. Yet although invented it would be a little under two decades until someone would decide to place it on a ship as a source of power. It wasn’t until 1787 that someone decided that it could work, the man was the American John Fitch. His craft was only 45 feet long and made a trip down the Delaware river. Yet due to it being a new technology it was not embraced. [1] It wasn’t until 1807 that the steamboat came back, this time made by Robert Fulton. [5] Called the Clermont, this ship showed the world that steam power was more than just auxiliary. It was actively engaged in a transportation route up and down the Hudson river, “traveling 40 miles from New York to Albany in a record eight hours.” [1]. Although nothing spectacular to us at the time, the speed was unheard of and truly initiated the Age of Steam. From that point on European nations and America began a rapid advancement and use of the steam ship. By 1818 steamships were running up and down the Mediterranean and rivers of Germany. Yet it was in “May 1819 the Savannah, a sailing packet with an auxiliary engine and collapsible paddle wheels, sailed from Georgia to make the first crossing of the Atlantic. She reached Liverpool 633 hours later, having steamed for only 80 of those hours.” [5.] So again, the speed of advancement from 1807 to 1818 was incredible and staggering. Although it did not make the journey entirely on steam, it still demonstrated the ability of it to work on an open ocean not just rivers. Following the creation and adoption, steamboats eventually began to enter into regular use extending throughout all Western countries and becoming increasingly important and useful. Yet more importantly immediately following the creation of a reliable steamship we see the popularity explode throughout the United States, “The use of steamboats on major US Rivers soon followed Fulton’s 1807 success. In 1811, the first in a continuous line of river steamboats left the dock at Pittsburgh to steam down the Ohio River to the Mississippi and on to New Orleans. In 1817, a consortium in Sackets Harbor, New York funded the construction of the first US steamboat, Ontario, to run on Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes, beginning the growth of lake commercial and passenger traffic.” [3] So this early in American history we see the importance of steamboats on rivers as a transportation system. Even at this time the Mississippi was foreign territory just recently explored by Lewis and Clark so with these new steamships the distances decreased bringing the United States closer together.
Illustration 1: Illustration of Robert Fulton’s “Clermont” sailing along the Hudson around 1809. 
So, the above picture is of the Clermont the first functional steamboat as mentioned earlier created by Robert Fulton. What is interesting to note that much like the Savannah of 1818 this ship also had sails. So Steam for several decades was again nothing more than a minor form of power. Yet this would all change around the 1830’s especially in regard to the United States and its impact on steamship technology.
Section III: Americans Impact on Steamship Technology and Development
Although it is deemed that, any ship that has a steam engine is a steamship regardless if it also possesses sails there were regional differences and how they developed from the original Clermont. For the sake of focus, however we are focusing on the United States and their development and adoption of Steamships in order to suit their needs. Unlike several other countries, the US was fortunate in the fact that it possessed a very large and centralized river system that linked the entire nation from North all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. It was for this reason that the Americans immediately began to focus not so much on ocean-going Steamships but rather river going steamships. As in popular imagination, most ships that steamed up the rivers were paddlewheel, meaning that the steam engine powered a massive wheel surrounded by wide paddles that propelled the ship forward using the momentum of the paddle. In addition, they were designed different from other ocean-going steamships, with “River steam boats typically used rear-mounted paddles and had flat bottoms and shallow hulls.” Yet even then, there were a variety of developments to River steamboats to suit the needs of the American economy and people. Firstly, was the luxury Show Boat much like a modern-day cruise ship its main objective was the transferring of people up and down the major river systems comfortably and quickly. These were often lavishly decorated and very thrilling for the towns along the river yet were not very common due to is expensive price tag. The next was the cheaper Packet boat, “Packet boats were very important because they were used to carry crops up and down the rivers. In fact, many river towns were built near large southern plantations to make getting crops to packet boats easier. Packets were also important because they carried people.” [1] The last type was the snag boat rightly named because it was responsible for taking out snags such as trees from the river to allow for safe river traffic.
Illustration 2: Photograph of the Steamboat Harry Lee – later to be the Showboat – docked across the Sabine River on old Highway 90, 
Illustration 3: A steamboat loaded with cotton, 
So above both illustrations are of river steamboats used in the United States and both demonstrate the adaptation of a shallow keel for river travel as well as paddles however, in both pictures it is not visible. The first illustration is of the stereotypical showboat and as can be seen it was very ornate but also large allowing for massive amounts of passengers. The second illustration is of a Packet Steamboat, which was used as a goods carrier, as seen the entire outside of the ship is covered in massive bales of some type of agricultural good. So far, the initial start and then development of steamships in America has been noted yet what did these mean for America and how did they affect the development of the United States. [1]
Section IV: Impact on the United States
So, the development of the River Steamboat had an immediate effect on the United States in almost every aspect of society, from the economy to urbanization and westward expansion. As noted earlier the steamship itself severely decreased the time it took to travel via the ocean. For example, “It took the Clermont 32 hours to travel from New York City to Albany, New York via the Hudson River. Prior to 1807, wind-powered sailing vessels averaged five days to travel from New York City to Albany.” [4] An increase in speed meant not only was traveling less of a burden but it also now seemed in the reach of large parts of society. This allowed for massive influx of immigrants from the extremely populated European mainland. This in turn meant that urbanization increased and therefore the industrial revolution reached a faster pace and cities began developing at an increasing speed leading to a more modern America. [2] In addition, this also allowed for the immediate spreading west of the United States, one must remember that even by the 1830’s the United States hadn’t even really started populating past the Mississippi. Yet this new technology allowed for the establishment of towns along the riverbanks. It was from these areas that settlers were able to push even further west into unpopulated territories, still allowing for relatively quick communication relative to foot transportation. In addition, the Steamship had an unprecedented effect on the United States economy. For example, “Their use generated rapid development of economies of port cities; the exploitation of agricultural and commodity products, which could be more easily transported to markets; and prosperity along the major rivers. Their success led to penetration deep into the continent,” [3] So again the steamship was intensely important because it created the American River system into a highway of goods, in addition it allowed for upstream travel allowing needed goods to be transported back creating more efficient farming. In addition, the “steamboat allowed regional specialization in agriculture and manufacturing to develop.” [4]. So overall the Steamboat had a massive effect on the American economy, and creation of our cities and westward expansion. Yet by the 1830’s we see the decreasing importance of said steamboats mostly due to the railroad, which did not need a strong river system and could traverse the deserts of the southwest. Yet it was not until the 2oth century that steamboats became obsolete in part due to cars, and various other faster forms of transportation and communication. [1] Yet although they became outdated they still existed throughout the 20th century and even into the 21st. One of the most well-known ships in World War II called the Liberty Ship was a steamship used because it was cheap, although it was not a river steamship. Yet today we see several refurbished show steamships, which function as tourist locations as well as actually taking people on cruises down the river. [3] So today, although we no longer truly use them for economic activates they are still present in society.
Section V: Conclusion
Overall, the Steamship was arguably one of the most important technological advancements of the 19th century for the United States. After its initial introduction, the Steamship immediately entered extensive service into the river systems of the United transforming the nation forever. In an effort to decrease the time of expansion Americans went to work developing better designs as well as designs that would work on the shallow river systems of the United States. Yet the steamship itself had massive effects on America as well not only did it allow for more rapid expansion and development of towns but also allowed for trade up and down the rivers creating a strong transportation system for the mass amounts of cotton exiting the south to Europe. Overall steamship technology had a massive effect on the young nation and truly set the stage for Americas rise to power and preeminence around the world.
Reference Page
[1] History Of steamboats, http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Portals/46/docs/recreation/OP-CO/montgomery/pdfs/10thand11th/ahistoryofsteamboats.pdf
[2] Lab, Digital Scholarship. “The History Engine.” History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research | Episodes. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
[3] “Steamboat.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Feb. 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
[4] Writer, Leaf Group. “The Effects of Steamboats on the Industrial Revolution.” Our Everyday Life. Our Everyday Life, 08 June 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
[5] Victoria and Albert Museum, Online Museum, Web Team, webmaster@vam.ac.uk. “The Power of Steam at Sea.” Victoria and Albert Museum, Online Museum, Web Team, webmaster@vam.ac.uk. Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL. Telephone 44 (0)20 7942 2000. Email vanda@vam.ac.uk, 09 July 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.