Question: How did the erie canal help new york city grow?
The completion of the Erie Canal spurred the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the rich land and resources west of the Appalachians and made New York the preeminent commercial city in the United States. The effect of the Canal was both immediate and dramatic, and settlers poured west.
- The canal gave New York City’s port a strong advantage over all other U.S. port cities and ushered in the state’s 19th century political and cultural ascendancy. The canal fostered a population surge in western New York and opened regions to settlement farther west. It was enlarged between 1834 and 1862.
One of the greatest contributions the Erie Canal made to the state of New York was the population increase and financial prosperity of its cities on the canal. Trade between the East and West increased through the route and also became easier with Europe — the Erie Canal was indeed “The Great Water Highway” (9).
Why did cities grow along the Erie Canal?
Ask: Why do you think cities grew along the Hudson River and Erie Canals? ( Cities grow where trade takes place because factories are built and the people who work in them live nearby.)
What impact did the Erie Canal have on New York City quizlet?
The canal proved it’s value from the start becuase the route linked the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes, opening the western part of the state and the Midwest to settlement, creating new markets for goods and bringing unimagined prosperity to New York City.
How did the Erie Canal help westward expansion?
The Erie Canal is a man made waterway linking the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. It opened up America to westward expansion, making the transport of goods and people quicker, cheaper, and more efficient and thus contributing to the growth of industrialization. Many towns were built along the canal route.
How did the Erie Canal influence the growth of American agriculture?
How did the Erie Canal influence the growth of American agriculture? Settlers had a faster way to ship grain. The Portage Railroad was a unique system of cable cars and inclined planes which carried canal boats over the Pennsylvania mountains.
Is Erie Canal still used?
Erie Canal Today Portions of the original canal are still operable, though tourism is now the main source of boat traffic along the Erie Canal. Commercial and shipping traffic declined abruptly after the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959.
How many Irish died building the Erie Canal?
By the time the canal opened in 1838, 8,000 Irish laborers had succumbed to cholera and yellow fever. Over the following decade, the canal was enlarged and shell roads were built alongside it.
Who benefited the least with the Erie Canal?
The Barge operators on the Ohio river benefited the least with the Erie Canal. Merchants in New York City Bankers in Albany Barge operators on the Ohio River Traders on the Hudson River.
How did New York recover the money that it spent to build the Erie Canal?
Therefore, the New York State legislature took the matter into its own hands and approved state funding for the canal in 1816, with tolls to pay back the state treasury for upon completion. New York City Mayor DeWitt Clinton was a major proponent of a canal and supported efforts for its construction.
How long did it take for the Erie Canal to pay for itself?
The canal was completed in only 8 years at a cost of $7,000,000. When completed on October 26, 1825, DeWitt Clinton (by then Governor of New York) boarded a vessel, the Seneca Chief, in Buffalo and headed to New York City.
How deep is the Erie Canal today?
Fast Facts
| JUST THE FACTS | |
|---|---|
| Canal dimensions, 1862 Enlarged Erie | 7 ft deep x 70 ft wide; lock 110 ft long |
| Canal dimensions, 1918- present Erie Barge Canal | 12-23 ft deep x 120- 200 ft wide; locks 310 ft long |
| Cost to build | $7,143,789 |
| Return on Investment | 10 years |
Why is the Erie Canal controversial?
The Erie Canal was one of the largest and most controversial construction projects undertaken in the United States during the nineteenth century. Later canal issues, such as the act to enlarge the waterway in 1835, divided the New York government against itself.
How did the Erie Canal help the economy?
The Erie Canal helped to launch the consumer economy. Farmers could grow wheat in western New York, sell it and have cash to buy furniture and clothing shipped up the canal that they otherwise would have made at home,” Kelly says. “That was the first inklings of the consumer economy.”
Why did US leaders build the Erie Canal?
The U.S. leaders wanted to build the canal in order to connect Lake Erie and other Great Lakes with the Atlantic Coast through a canal. This helped allow immigrants to be able to travel to that region easily. It also allow easier business and created more larger cities.
How did the Erie Canal benefit the US?
The completion of the Erie Canal spurred the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the rich land and resources west of the Appalachians and made New York the preeminent commercial city in the United States.
Did slaves build the Erie Canal?
Lemmey points out that slavery was not yet abolished in New York during the construction of the Erie Canal, from 1817 to 1825. She says that slaves and free blacks living in New York at the time were among those who built the waterway. “Obviously, Brown was trying to depict New York [state] as a whole.
