The Erie Canal : Aspects Of The Artificial River

There are two disadvantages of Erie Canal. First, with the sharp increasing of the population, more and more workers assembled in factories of eastern area, but the cities could not provide enough resources for those low-wage workers, like the accommodation. Besides, over crowding led to the emergence and spread of some kinds of disease, for instance, the cholera. Another disadvantage is the increase of crime in many cities, especially in New York. Because the lack of police, the occurrence of crimes became hard to control. Moreover, although Cumberland road was the main road to connect Potomac and Ohio, and for people to move to west coast, it still had a disadvantage. Cumberland road was not economical for people to deliver vast crops and goods so that most factories preferred using water shipping. Both two developments had brought negative effects to United States. The construction of canals and roads in the western and northern territory accelerated the development of western and northern cities, but at the same time, south was isolated from other areas. Because of the improved transportation in north, the eastern manufactory could get materials from west and north instead of south; afterwards, the differences of economic development between north and south became the one of the cause of Civil

Of the numerous strategies used throughout World War 1 and 2 those in WW2 proved more effective due to the standstill trench warfare brought, the ease with which trenches were defeated by tanks later in the war, and the speed and efficiency widespread mechanized warfare and blitzkrieg gave to armies in WW2.

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 Artificial River, a well thought of 177 paged book written by the author Carol Sheriff whom at the time was an graduate at Yale University and finished it off while an assistant professor at William and Mary. This compelling book captures and emphasis the success and downfall the Erie canal has brought to the people. Sheriff has a clear notion that “progress” viewed differently through the eyes of conflicting people and status. What one envisioned the Canal turn out to be fluctuated from another. Progress to them meant in large part men and women take apart an active role in the community that they are in which the construction of the Erie canal consisted of people doing just that. She apprehended that whomever supported the canal had some dream and hope to actively be apart a wider range or market exchange. In Sheriff words she says that progress would play a central role in defining Northern sectional identity in decades. The book will explore six topics which are titled Vision of Progress, The Triumph of Art over Nature, Reducing time and distance, Politics of land and water, Politics of Business and The Perils of Progress all of which I will touch on throughout the paper.

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.”

The Economical Impact of the Erie Canal The Erie Canal was a huge economic boost to the U.S. and New York, but what aspects of the commercial United States did it improve? First of all, it greatly advanced the industrial level of New York. According to the New York State Canal Corporation, “Prior to the construction of the canal, New York City was the nation’s fifth largest seaport……. Within fifteen years of opening [Erie Canal], New York [City], was the busiest port in America…”(Doc. 1B).

The Erie canal was very important to the United States. It was designed to link our nation through transportation and trade and was the fastest way to transport goods. It also linked many parts of the country. The Erie Canal was a vital part of Henry Clay’s plan known as the American System, which was designed to link our nation through trade and transportation.

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.

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

The Erie Canal provided an extremely fast source of transportation compared to other ones of that time. A lot of the land that the Canal went through was uninhabited and therefore people weren’t able to move through these areas. Once the Canal was built it served as that pathway through these areas. The Canal also was a much cheaper source of transportation that was used by residents, tourists, emigrants, and workers during this time. Evangelical preachers used the artificial

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).

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

Railroads were faster and cheaper than canals to construct, and they did not freeze over in the winter. Steamboats played a vital role in the United States economy as well. They stimulated the agricultural economy of the west by providing better access to markets at a lower cost. Farmers quickly bought land near navigable rivers, because they could ship their products out to other countries. Due to the foreign trade it helped strengthen the trade relationship between New England and the Northwest. The transportation development had many positive economic changes in the United States.

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.