• From our countries earliest days, rivers were used to transport goods. – Example: Chesapeake Bay was used for shipping

tobacco

• Rivers greatly aided the transportation of products.– Shipping was faster– Shipping was cheaper than transporting goods by

land

• Now that the country was growing and expanding west, more and more goods were coming from and going in that direction.

– Westward

• One of the difficult challenges of transporting these goods back and forth…– The Appalachian Mountains

• The Appalachian Mountains extend from Alabama to Canada– Over sixteen states– 2,181 miles long

• The Appalachian Mountains made the transportation of goods very difficult– High elevation– Trees and Rocks– Inadequate roads

• When the transportation of the product is expensive, the price of the product rises– Example of this was grain in Pennsylvania– This lead to the Whiskey Rebellion

An idea…• If any state or territory was able to build a waterway that

connected the Atlantic Ocean to the western United States, then that state would benefit greatly.

– The state of New York would be the first to take this chance.

The Erie Canal

• The Erie Canal is a waterway located in New York.

• It runs from Albany, NY to Buffalo, NY

– 363 miles

– Links the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Erie

• In 1810, Mayor Dewitt Clinton came up with the idea for Erie Canal

• He sent a letter to President James Madison asking for financial aid for the project.

– The request was denied

• Mayor Clinton was able to persuade the state of New York to fund the Canal– Raising taxes

• Construction for the Erie Canal began on July 14, 1817.

• The Erie Canal was completed on October 26, 1826

– Nine years and three months

– Cost about $7.6 million

• The Chief Engineer for the project was Benjamin Wright

Benjamin Wright• October 10, 1770 – August 24, 1842

• Born in Connecticut

• Led thousands of unskilled workers in the Erie Canal project– The majority of these workers were immigrants

• After the success of the canal, Wright was hired to oversee the construction of several newer canals in the country.

• Digging the canal was incredibly hard work

• Trees had to be moved or cut down

• Lots of digging!

• *Remember, the canal was being dug through the Appalachian Mountains…

– Dynamite was used to break through the rock

• Construction of the canal increased rapidly once more workers arrived in the country

– As said before, the majority of the workers were immigrants

– The majority were from Scotland and Ireland

• A group of 5,000 Scots-Irish came over to America to work on the canal

• The Erie Canal consists of 83 locks

• Locks: Devices that raise or lower boats

– Water rises = Boat is lifted

– Water decreases = Boat is dropped

• Locks are used to make the river more easily navigable and help make a direct route across uneven land.

• The Erie Canal cost almost Seven million dollars to construct

• The Erie Canal cut transport costs of products by 95%

• Rapidly sped up the time of transportation

– Much faster than a cart being pulled by horses or mules

Results of the Erie Canal

• Before the Erie Canal, the price of shipping goods between Lake Erie (near the Northwest Territory) and New York City cost over a 100$ a ton and took more than three weeks.

• After the Erie Canal was finished, the cost of shipping dropped to 10$ a ton and took less than seven days!

That’s 90% !!!

• By the late 1820’s, up to $15 million worth of products, mostly flour, wheat, and whiskey, was transported on the canal each year.

• In addition to shipping, about 1,000 people traveled the canal each day.

– Had to pay a toll to use the canal.

– The canal made almost $1 million dollars in tolls alone in the first year!

• New York City benefited greatly from the Erie Canal.

• If any company wanted to ship items to or from the Midwest, that company would more than likely use the Erie Canal– Faster and Cheaper

• If a company used the Erie Canal, they had to pay.

• New York City became the wealthiest port in the country.

• New York City became the wealthiest city in the country.

• Many people came to work on the canal– More immigrants migrated to New York City– Mostly from European countries