"In 1800, the only practical way to travel and trade across long distances was along the nation’s natural waterways. As a result, settlements clung to the nation’s coasts and rivers."1
America had few roads, travel was dangerous. Wind and current controlled river travel. Returning upstream was almost impossible. Navies relied on warships using giant sails. Battles depended on winds, currents and tides.
Robert Fulton changed these things. Fulton played a significant part in multiple turning points of history. His desire for peace and prosperity lead to weapons of destruction and inventions for humanity.
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“We admire Fulton…as a man of science, as a man whose every invention was the contrivance of a real philanthropist, whose every act was for the benefit of mankind…
John Franklin Reigart 1856
John Franklin Reigart 1856
1 Smithsonian National Museum Of American History Exhibit 2012
Music: 1812 Overture, Philharmonia Slavonica & Henry Adolph 2011
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