During the 18th and 19th century certain innovations like the railroad, steamboat, and canals had a great deal of impact on the economy of the nation. These innovations expanded the westward movement, decrease the coast of transportation, and linked a larger share of the market with smaller businesses. The invention of the steamboat by Robert Fulton made upstream commerce possible, creating a more efficient way to transportation goods as well as linking consumers and sellers better. The completion of the Erie Canal gave New york ascendancy over competing ports and made it able for New York to trade with the Old Northwest.The introduction of Railroads gave way to more settlements and other form of economic development like coal mining and manufacturing
