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UNIT 8: Changing Nation
UNIT 8: Changing Nation
Lesson: THe Erie Canal
Lesson: THe Erie Canal
Tennessee State Standards:
Tennessee State Standards:
8.40 Analyze the development of canals and steamboats throughout the U.S., including the Erie Canal.
8.40 Analyze the development of canals and steamboats throughout the U.S., including the Erie Canal.
THE ERIE CANAL
THE ERIE CANAL
Perhaps the most important canal in the history of the United States was the Erie Canal, which opened in 1825. For over a hundred years, people had dreamed of building a massive canal across the state of New York that would connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Governor of New York, Dewitt Clinton, decided to try to make it happen. He tried to get funding from the Federal Government, but they turned him down. His critics referred to his project as "Clinton's Ditch." Clinton eventually convinced the New York State government to build the new canal.
Construction began in 1817 and was completed in 1825, it ran for 363 miles, connecting Lake Erie in the Midwest to the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. The Erie Canal became a major route for travel from Midwestern cities like Chicago to East Coast cities like New York. The Erie Canal provided a cheap way to ship materials and finished goods between the Midwest and the East Coast. It also shortened the travel time for people traveling to the Midwest.
When completed, many considered The Erie Canal to be one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of all time.
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