What is the main idea of the Erie Canal?

The Erie Canal provided a direct water route from New York City to the Midwest, triggering large-scale commercial and agricultural development—as well as immigration—to the sparsely populated frontiers of western New York, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and points farther west.

Who built the Erie Canal and why?

What role did DeWitt Clinton play in the construction of the Erie Canal?

DeWitt Clinton, (born March 2, 1769, Little Britain, N.Y. [U.S.]—died Feb. 11, 1828, Albany, N.Y., U.S.), American political leader who promulgated the idea of the Erie Canal, which connects the Hudson River to the Great Lakes.

What was the goal of the Erie Canal quizlet?

What was the goal of the Erie Canal? The goal was to sustain the frontiers.

Who helped build the Erie Canal?

Instead, the thickly forested land was cleared and the 40-foot wide canal was dug and the locks were constructed by the raw manpower of an estimated 50,000 laborers, including a large contingent of recently arrived Irish immigrants.

What was the significance of the Erie Canal quizlet?

The canal, considered a marvel of the modern world at the time, allowed western farmers to ship surplus crops to sell in the North and allowed northern manufacturers to ship finished goods to sell in the West.

Why was the Erie Canal so successful quizlet?

Why was the Erie Canal so successful? It linked the economies of the Midwest and the Northeast. The Erie Canal connected midwestern and northeastern economies, serving as an avenue for the eastward movement of agricultural products and the westward movement of manufactured goods.

Who was the push behind the Erie Canal?

De Witt Clinton (1769-1828) was the strongest advocate for the Erie Canal. He served in the New York State Legislature, the U.S. Senate, and was Mayor of New York City. He was determined to make the canal a New York State project despite the loss of federal support.

How did the Erie Canal affect Native Americans?

The canal transformed the lives of Native Americans in the state of New York. Its construction occurred during a period of intense “Indian removal” policies, and the canal itself ran through territory traditionally occupied by the Haudenosaunee (better known as the Iroquois Confederacy), forcing many of them to move.

Why did US leaders want to build the Erie Canal How did the canal change the US?

Why did U.S. leaders want to build the Erie Canal? How did the canal change the U.S.? They wanted to build it for transporting goods and making more money. It changed the U.S. by increasing trading productivity, increasing money, and increasing farm land.

What did the Erie Canal connect quizlet?

What did this canal connect? It connect the Hudson River and Lake Erie which in other words is Lake Erie and New York/Atlantic Ocean.

Why was the Erie Canal built quizlet?

De Witt Clinton wanted to build a canal that would connect Lake Erie with the Hudson River. Pioneers said they wanted an easier way to go west so they suggested to make the Erie Canal.

What is the Erie Canal?

The Erie Canal is a 363-mile waterway that connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River in upstate New York. The channel, which traverses New York state from Albany to Buffalo on Lake Erie, was considered an engineering marvel when it first opened in 1825.

How long did it take to build the Ohio&Erie Canal?

Using design specifications from the Erie Canal, construction on the Ohio & Erie Canal began throughout the state in 1825. It took two years of hand digging to complete the section from Cleveland to Akron, and five more years to finish all the sections.

Why was the Erie Canal important to William Clinton?

Clinton believed that the canal was crucial to the economic advancement of his city. Clinton saw his plan come to fruition in 1817 after he became the governor of New York. Workers first broke ground on the Erie Canal on July 4, 1817, near Utica, New York.