Samuel Colt's Revolver

            Western expansion in America would not have been possible without Samuel Colt's revolver; he revolutionized firearms and shaped our country. His revolver was the first multi shot in America. It proved helpful in Westward expansion. It allowed outnumbered men to fight off their opponents. Americans would fight Native Americans and Mexicans in the struggle for land. The opposition often times greatly outnumbered them, but the Colt Revolver was able to even out the odds and push them to victory. Colt was a strong willed man who never settled for second, "If I can't be first I won't be second in anything" (Samuel Colt, I Won't Be Second). This attitude is the reason he became an American hero, and a reason why his revolver eventually became the wrecking force of a powerful American military. Samuel Colt was exposed to inventing and building at an early age, his interest in the subject came as no surprise because he worked in his father's textile mill as a boy. Experiences like this molded him into the smart, ambitious character he grew up to be. A question to ask your self is, would westward expansion be possible without the invention of Samuel Colt's revolver? I believe the Colt Revolver made Westward expansion possible for Americans and shaped our country into the prosperous Nation it is today.
             Samuel Colt gained an interest in building and inventing at an early age. He was born in Hartford Connecticut in 1814 as one of seven children. He was intrigued at an early age with machinery; he enjoyed taking apart and reassembling equipment, in particular, his father's guns (Mark Crawford). Colt was given a job at his father's textile mill where he was able to see inventions first hand and be around people who shared the common interest. He was also around all the tools necessary to make his inventions and broaden his creativity. It was, "an inventor's paradise" (Mark Crawford).