♪ Land of the free ♪
♪ Home of the brave ♪
♪ That's what makes the United States ♪
♪ Now let's take a journey with the spirit of freedom ♪
♪ Liberty will lead the way ♪
♪ Let's take a star (star!) spangled adventure ♪
♪ Star (star!) spangled adventure ♪
♪ All the things you'd wanna know ♪
♪ about America's in this show ♪
♪ So come on all you Patriots let's go ♪
(gentle guitar music)
- "My dear Clara, I'm sure my grandson
is getting taller every day."
- I sure am.
- "The last month I've been very sick,
the doctor says he's not sure why.
Kind Mrs. Roberts brings me food,
but she has her own family to care for."
- Let's go help him.
- Oh, Henry, I wish we could.
- But he needs us.
- I know, but we are here in Pennsylvania,
Grandpa is all the way south in New Orleans.
When I was your age, we made that trip
and it took over a month to get there,
just one way, in the carriage.
Maybe when school is over and I don't have to teach.
- But mother.
- Hold on, we'll finish their story,
but first we have to come here, to New York,
30 years earlier, in 1807.
You see, the Industrial Revolution has started.
That's when machines began to do the work of people,
often powered by the newly invented steam engine.
(steam engine hissing)
These goods could be made faster and cheaper,
but America is a big country and everyone is spread out.
So a factory in one part of the country
couldn't easily get their goods
to a customer in another part.
The question became, how to get both people and goods
from one place to another.
This is Robert Fulton, an engineer who has just designed
and built this boat, powered not by a sail or by rowing,
but by a steam engine.
- Relax Robert, today's launch is going to go well.
- Oh, I'm not so sure.
- [Liberty] And this is Robert Livingston,
he was a part of writing the "Declaration of Independence,"
and he is Robert Fulton's business partner in the steamboat.
- But what about them?
(crowd laughing)
- What are you waiting for?
Let's see the boat sink, I mean sail.
(crowd laughing)
- Yeah, come on, Fulton,
just put a few more thousand dollars into it, huh?
Maybe that'll make the engine work.
(crowd laughing)
- So what if we had to borrow more money to finish it?
Think about it, it's about to sail powered only by steam.
- Oh, it's you, Mr.-
- Shh, quiet, I'm incognito,
I don't want people to see me talking to you two.
My investment in this boat might sink.
(crowd laughing)
(steam engine hissing)
(crowd applauding)
(boat whistling)
(crowd applauding)
(steam engine bangs)
(crowd chattering indistinctly)
I think I want my money back.
(crowd chattering indistinctly)
(upbeat music)
(metal clanging)
- [Fulton] Hold on!
(clanking)
(metal clanging)
Fear not!
(metal clanging)
(upbeat music continues)
(crowd applauding)
- Great work, Robert.
- It wouldn't have happened without you.
(crowd applauding)
- I never doubted it for a second.
I always knew it would work.
I invested in this boat, you know.
(upbeat music continues)
- [Liberty] This small trip from New York City
to Albany, New York,
led to America being connected by rivers,
especially the mighty Mississippi.
(train whistling)
♪ Well, America's growing ♪
♪ Gotta keep things flowing gotta keep this country alive ♪
♪ Gotta move, gotta groove ♪
♪ Yeah, we gotta push through ♪
♪ We gotta pick up the pace to thrive ♪
♪ We have an engine now with a lot of power ♪
♪ that works from heat and steam ♪
♪ We'll have faster boats with bigger loads ♪
♪ to build the American dream ♪
♪ From state to state, we can ship what we make ♪
♪ Yeah, the rivers will act like roads ♪
♪ They connect us all and keep our big country small ♪
♪ Now watch her as she goes ♪
(upbeat music continues)
- After Fulton's first steamboat,
he built a larger, faster steamboat called the New Orleans,
which brought goods and people together.
(boat whistling)
(upbeat music)
- Can't wait to see Grandpa!
- Me too.
- Sure glad we can take a steamboat
in a week instead of months.
- Yes, a lot's changed since I was your age.
I bet Mr. Fulton didn't know his boat
would bring our family together.
(upbeat music continues)
(boat whistling)
(energetic upbeat music)