Which effects did the invention of the steamboat have? Select all that apply.
A:increased travel westward
B:slowed relocation of Native Americans
C:expanded rights for African Americans
D:allowed cheap movement of goods
A: Increased travel westward - True. The steamboat made it much easier to travel and transport goods along America's rivers, which encouraged and supported westward expansion.
B: Slowed relocation of Native Americans - False. The expansion of steamboats and the increased desire for land that accompanied westward expansion actually facilitated the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands.
C: Expanded rights for African Americans - False. The invention of the steamboat itself did not expand rights for African Americans. Their legal and social status remained largely unchanged, and many African Americans continued to suffer under slavery and, later, institutionalized discrimination after the Civil War.
D: Allowed cheap movement of goods - True. Steamboats enabled much more efficient and cost-effective transportation of goods compared to previous methods, which relied on natural downstream currents or animal power. Steamboats could navigate both downstream and upstream, making the movement of a variety of goods over long distances much cheaper and faster than before.