Erie Canal

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

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.”

In 19th century, Henry Clay proposed three terms to improve United States, as we called “American System”: establishing the Bank of the United States, protecting American manufacturers, and building canals and roads. For internal improvements, the construction of Erie Canal and Cumberland road played an important role in the development of the market in West and Northeast. First, Erie Canal linked the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and it helped western farmers to transport crops to the east much faster and more convenient. Second, Cumberland Road was the first road built by the United States government, and it accelerated the development of Ohio and Northwest area. Both of these two constructions dramatically promoted the Market Revolution

Erie Canal is a vital channel of the United States, connecting the Great Lakes with New York City through the Hudson River at Albany. Misusing the Mohawk River opening in the Appalachian Mountains, the Erie Canal is 584 km (363 miles) long, it was the essential divert in the United States to connect western conductors with the Atlantic Ocean. Advancement began in 1817 and was done in 1825. Its flourishing moved New York City into an imperative business center and invigorated the Erie channel's advancement all through the United States.

The Erie canal helped shape America. The Northwest was expanding and needed to get their products to the east coast. However, they seemed to be lacking a water source. Since the Erie canal was connected from the Hudson river to the Great lakes this made it possible for farmers to transport goods to the east coast without a problem. The Erie canal paved the pathway to a more stable America and an economic growth by allowing transportation, trade, exporting and importing goods to be more accessible through the United States. “This great work will immortalize the present authorities of N.Y. will bless their descendants with wealth and prosperity, and prove to mankind the superiority wisdom of employing the resources of industry in works of improvement rather than destruction.” The canal combined trade and transportation allowing for commerce to help speed up the Industrialization in the United States after the Erie canal was

Novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote that "Its water (served as a miraculous) fertilizer, (for) it causes towns with their masses of brick and stone, their churches and theatres, their business...to spring up." In its financing by the state government, the Erie Canal epitomized the developing transportation infrastructure. The vast expanse of the Erie Canal created a network that linked the Atlantic states with the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys that drastically reduced the cost of transportation. While canals connected waterways, the railroad opened vast new areas of the American interior to settlement, while stimulating the mining of coal for fuel and the manufacture of iron for locomotives and rails. By 1860, the railroad network had grown to 30,000 miles, a total more than the rest of the world 's railroads combined. The United States was able to grow following the War of 1812 due to innovations in transportation which allowed for cheaper, faster, and more efficient trading of goods within the United States.

The Erie Canal being one very famous example of how this all changed. The Erie Canal was proposed in 1808 but wasn’t completed until 1825, it was a canal that linked the waters of Lake Erie to the Hudson River. The Erie Canal at the time was engineering marvel to the world, partially because of the 568 foot rise from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, it used a large amount of aqueducts and locks to do so. The Canal by 1830, had carried more than $15 million worth of goods and product annually. The Canal eventually had to have an increase in size from what was originally 4 feet deep and 40 feet wide into a massive 70 feet wide and 7 feet deep, allowing boats to also increase load size from the usual; 30 tons of freight to a whopping 240 tons of weight. In the time between 1836 to 1862 is when the enlargement occurred, and by 1850 the annual figure rose from $15 million to $200 million. Giving it a large impact on the flow of economy through transportation.

During the 1800’s there was no clear passage to take from New York to the American west. This created an issue as the expense to transport goods such as wheat and flour would be a costly amount of approximately $100 per ton. Due to the Appalachian Mountains New York was secluded from much of western America. The Canal took approximately nine years to be completed, despite funding issues that were presented the canal proved to be an expense well made. The Erie Canal (Clinton’s Ditch) was a project known to be doubted upon by political figures, yet despite political opposes to the idea, the result of the canal was noted to be America’s greatest engineering achievement of its time, as the increase of economic prosperity arose in New York because of the canal, alongside popularity for the regions that surrounded the canal; the canal proved to be a success.

During the year of 1845 a modern day marvel was completed. This feat of modern engineering allowed people and goods alike to travel from the Great Lakes to the Ohio River on a moderately quick and cost effective route. To be completely specific the name of this route would later be known as the Miami Erie Canal. Notably, the canal is known for being the driving force behind the economy and growth in the majority of small towns along the canal. For this reason the canal should be celebrated for its contributions to the development of northwest Ohio.

“The first improvements were roads and turnpikes (private roads with tolls), and the 1810’s were the turnpike era” (Shultz, 2013).  From 1800 to 1825 there were a lot of toll roads built across the nation.  The canal era happened because there were not enough rivers running east and west.  Canals were man made and were the era of 1820.  The Erie Canal was a man-made canal that ran from Buffalo to Albany.  (Because Albany was linked to New York City by the Hudson River, the Erie Canal provided a continuous water route from the shores of the Atlantic to the Great Lakes” (Shultz,

Before the time of the Erie Canal, America was still developing a railroad system. Since shipping items to parts of New York was hard and time consuming they needed a new way to get items around the state of New York. The Erie Canal took about 7 years to build but with its creation came easier transportation of goods around the state of New York. The Erie Canal became a method of transportation for immigrant around America as well. New York became a commercial city in the United States due to the Erie

In 1852, New York State completed the Erie canal; Governor Morris proposed it in 1777. Irish laborers dug most of the Erie canal when work began in 1817. Next, Ohio wanted a canal, in 1825, work on their canal began. Malaria and cholera killed thousands of workers. After eight years of work, in 1833, Ohio opened its

Before steamboats and railroads it was really hard to transport any kind of goods. The only way goods could be transport was though sea. When the Erie Canal was built it brought many benefits to New York. People would travel in large boats through the Erie Canal. It was indeed one of the most important ways of transportation in the sea for New York City. It helped populate the country better for being well known for their selling products. The Erie Canal brought up the economy with their different products. Some of the products included crops, animal meat, and domestic products etc. New York City was the center of money, business, and trading. Therefore, the Erie Canal was a great resource to make all the trading possible. The Erie Canal was

In order to create regional, national and international markets, strong commerce, trade and transportation are necessary. During the 1800’s, social change became more prominent in different areas of the country such as the South and Midwest. As economic prosperity grew, the need for new and more efficient means of transportation grew as well. Through the development of new transportation technologies such as canals and railroads, America saw a large increase in the monetary flow and stability of the economy along with a changing social and political climate during the period of 1820-1860.