Origin of Steamboats 
Another significant innovator in American society was Robert Fulton, who utilized James Watts’ concept of a steam engine in the textile industry to power a ship. Fulton was quick to prove the advantages of a steam-powered ship, such as increased speed and the ability to travel up a river against the current. These improvements could have significant economic advantages. He demonstrated his theories when his own steamship, the Clermont, traveled up the Hudson River in 1807 and completed the first successful round trip. By 1820, there were sixty-nine steamboats traveling the rivers of the western region of the United States.