Artificial River Essay

Unfortunately, with few exceptions, navigable rivers and lakes did not link up conveniently to form usable transportation networks. Before the war of 1812m some Americans considered canals as a likely solution, but enormous costs and engineering problems had limited canal construction to less than 100 miles. After the war, the entry of development opened the way to an era of canal building. New York State was most successful at canal development. In 1817 the state started work on on a canal that would run over more than 350 miles’ form Lake Erie to the Hudson River. About three thousand workers worked on digging a huge ditch that would eventually form the Erie Canal. The last leg was completed in 1825 and the first freight boat made its way from Buffalo to Albany and then on to New York

Another major way the Erie Canal was a paradox was that it the New York state government started taking on new responsibilities. This resulted in many people depending on the state government of New York and Canal Board in helping them reach financial success. While the canal was being built, there were constant complaints of how the canal made a person lose business. The New York state government was building the canal to spur economic activity, and now they were being blamed for the canal decreasing so many people’s profit. Obviously the canal would not have helped everybody in New York in a positive way, but it would not affect such a

Have you ever needed easier access to the essential items to stay alive? This is specifically what the residents of the North-East thought around the year 1817. Carol Sheriff argues in her book, “The Artificial River” that the residents of the canal corridor actively sought after long-distance trade and therefore consumer goods that markets brought to their homes. The fact that people supported the Erie Canal at all "suggests that at least some aspired to engage in broader market exchange" (p. 11). The transformation of this region because of the Erie Canal is organized around six topics, each of which is covered by a chapter. They include the; Visions of Progress, the Triumph of Art over Nature, Reducing Distance and Time, the Politics of Land and Water, the Politics of Business, and the Perils of Progress.

The canal that links the waters of Lake Erie to the west of the Hudson River in the east, is the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal is an example of Henry Clay’s vision to harmonize and balance the country’s agriculture, economy and industries. The building of this canal was first proposed in 1808 and was eventually completed in 1824. At the time, New York State Governor De Witt Clinton envisioned a canal that would link Albany to Buffalo. The idea was criticized by some and given the name “Clinton’s ditch”. The idea turned out to be a critical turning point for the country since it opened up many new possibilities.

Numerous factors brought unity to an adolescent nation which prevailed the confidence Americans needed for self-identity. As rapid mass-communication and transportation became easily available, any individual had the luxury of pursuing a life with personal freedoms just a grasp away. Moving west was made attractive for numerous reasons. For example, shipping products such as beaver fur enable a fashionable trend which sparked a demand in garments. The construction of the Erie Canal in 1825 that connected the Great Lakes with the Hudson River boomed the motivation, whether it was cost effective or not, completing miles into small distances, according to a journalist, “In thirty-six minutes we had passed near three miles, and reached the east of an embankment about 136 chains long across the valley of the Sedaqueda creek”. This economic process boomed with new opportunities for average Americans during the Era of Good Feeling. The early republic also had more busted effects from internal

Actually, to blame the entire U.S. as a whole would be completely unfair. The entire Erie Canal project brought great prosper to many areas in the United States that helped the nation as a whole prosper. Mr. Woodcock goes on to describe the immense economic advancement that astonishes him. Towns, hotels, and accommodations were being built in short time, all over the route. But, he describes these people involved in this creation as “mad” by selling promises that didn 't even exist at the time. Sheer confidence in the prosperity of the area is what made it grow. Where there was no money, or actual income – where it needed to be – there was a grand system in place that comes down to the core of what American Society has founded itself upon and survives until this day, “Credit.”

Immigrants came flooding into the United States in hope of finding work. However, the canal did not attract just immigrants; it also brought visitors and tourists. Bringing in a sea of people, America was soon growing economically and nationally. “I have no doubt it is correct; for that I know was my early opinion, and many, I dare say still think with me that N. York has anticipated by a full century the ordinary progress of improvement.” More cities were established in the Midwest. Because the canal was such an attraction for people all over the world, the United States began to function and expand on using ships and relying on ships to transfer products to other parts in America.

A River Runs Through It is, deservedly so, the work that Norman Maclean will always be best known for. His 1976 semi-autobiographical novella tells what is really only a brief piece of the life story of two brothers who grew up together in the Montana wilderness; but the scope of this timeless tale of fishing, family, and religion extends beyond just a few months. It touches on the entirety of the complicated relationship between Norman Maclean and his parents, and his prodigal yet distant and troubled brother Paul. In masterful and stirring prose, Maclean examines the strength of their bond, and yet how neither he nor his family could keep Paul from self-destruction. Maclean also mulls over his and his family’s ideas about grace and man’s relation to nature. Maclean’s enthralling vision is delivered through the artistry of his writing, earning the book its deserved position as a classic of American literature. In 1992, a film adaptation of the novel was released,

This made it very hard for the individual states to come up with the money. Usually private investors took care of this issue (Roark, 260). Canals were another way for an increase in transportation. They would connect cities, such as the Erie Canal, which covered the area between Albany and Buffalo and connecting New York City to the area of the Great Lakes (Roark, 261). Railroads also came into the picture with the first railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio in 1829 (Roark, 262).

The canal and railroad systems, which grew up in the North, facilitated a much larger volume of trade and manufacturing while reducing costs a great deal. Great cities sprang up throughout the North and Northwest, bolstered by the improvement in transportation.

Although the canal did not receive much support in the beginning, it soon proved to be a great benefit to New York and the entire country. Once the Erie Canal opened, shipping costs from New York to the Midwest dropped from $100 a ton to less than $10 a ton, and the time it took to ship the goods was cut down by a third. This greatly increased trade for New York City businesses. Many settlers used the canal to travel to upstate New York and points farther west. This influx of people opened up new markets for New York City businesses. It also increased the financial and physical growth of cities along the canal route. Many people ask "so what we could have waited for

In the years before 1830 Cleveland was not yet considered a city as it is known today. No crowded streets, no traffic, no skyscrapers, or residential neighborhoods. Cleveland was only a small village. In 1824, Cleveland was a town with nine stores and three taverns (Miller, 1997; Wheeler 1997). Since the village was so small everyone knew each other. Cleveland served mainly as a meeting place for local farmers. Farmers sent their produce to Buffalo and New York City. It was anticipated that the population would grow to 500 citizens by 1825. Why was this drastic change going to happen? The State of Ohio had made a very important decision in 1825. The State had decided to locate the Northern end

The Erie Canal was an important building project that led to economic growth in the United States. When it was built, it was a feat of engineering that was twice as long as any European canal (OI). First, it connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes (Doc. 1A), which created a boom in the economy. It also made New York City the nation’s largest and busiest port. In the words of New York State Canal Corporation, “Prior to the construction of the canal, New York City was the nation’s fifth largest seaport…” It caused other countries to want to ship items across the sea over to America. It didn’t just affect New York City. Believe it or not, it was relatively cheap to ship items from New York City to Buffalo. If you used the road to ship

The necessity of a canal was fully demonstrated in 1899 during the Spanish American war. During the war, the battleship U.S.S. Oregon, which was stationed in California, was ordered to assist in the blockade of Cuba. To get there, the battleship had to go around the entire southern tip of South America. The trip took ten weeks and almost caused the ship to miss the war. Because of this, public support for a canal arose, and members of congress began to push for the acquisition of a canal in order to obtain a faster sea route from one coast to the other (“The United States Acquires the Canal

Love Canal is one of the most iconic and appalling environmental tragedies in American history. Dreamed up by a visionary, William T. Love built Love Canal to create a dream community on the fringe of Niagara Falls where all could see it as a dream community. Love built the Canal because he thought that by digging a short canal between two rivers that he could generate electricity to power homes and business in the community surrounding the canal. With the invention of AC power and a depression, the canals power systems were never installed and it remained as a dry canal for quite some time. It’s ironic that it had such grand intentions considering the Love Canal would become one of Americas most polluted superfund sites in American history.