United States; a history: the most complete and most popular history of the United States of America from the aboriginal times to the present . of the first impor-tance to the peopleof the inland Statesthat their great riv-ers should be enliv-ened with rapid andregular , without the ap-plication of steam,was impossible; andthis Fulton success-fully , the steam-boat was the harbin-ger of a new era incivilization. Fultonwas an Irishman bydescent and a Penn-sylvanian by birth. His education was meagre and imperfect. Inhis boyhood he became a painter of mini
United States; a history: the most complete and most popular history of the United States of America from the aboriginal times to the present . of the first impor-tance to the peopleof the inland Statesthat their great riv-ers should be enliv-ened with rapid andregular , without the ap-plication of steam,was impossible; andthis Fulton success-fully , the steam-boat was the harbin-ger of a new era incivilization. Fultonwas an Irishman bydescent and a Penn-sylvanian by birth. His education was meagre and imperfect. Inhis boyhood he became a painter of miniatures at Philadelphia. Hisfriends sent him to London to receive instruction from BenjaminWest; but his tastes led him to the useful rather than to the finearts. From London he went to Paris, where he became acquaintedwith Chancellor Livingston; and there he conceived the project ofapplying steam to the purposes of navigation. Returning to NewYork, he began the construction of a steamboat in East River. When * The embargo act was the subject of much ridicule. The opponents of the measurespelling the word backward, called it the 0 Grftb me ROBERT FULTON. JEFFERSONS ADMINISTRATION. 387 the ungainly craft was completed and brought around to the of the city, Fulton invited his friends to go on board and enjoya trip to Albany. It was the 2d of September, 1807, The incredu-lous crowds stood staring on the shore. The word was given, and theboat did not move. Fulton went below. Again the word was given,and this time the boat moved. On the next day the happy companyreached Albany. For many years this first rude steamer, called the(Vermont, plied the Hudson. The old methods of river navigationwere revolutionized. But the inventive genius of Fulton wras by no means satisfiedwith the great achievement. For years his thoughts had been busywith another project which was considered by himself of greater valueand importance to the future interests of mankind than the steamboa
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidunitedstateshist00ridp
