Erie Canal

The Erie Canal was completely built in 1825. Integrated In New York City State, the canal runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, which connects the Excellent Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. Ultimately, the Canal led to a colossal population surge in Western New York, but maybe more notably, it opened areas further to the west for increased settlement. This resulted in faster transportation paths in between the Eastern sea side and the Western interior lands.

This book explains the complex and remarkable social history of the canal that diminished time and range and transformed western New York, brought great wealth to many and opened the west.

But this progress came at a rate and the book explores some of the paradoxes of progress. Carol Constable’s book Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress check out both the cultural and social effects that the building of the Erie Canal had on America. Sheriff talks about in fantastic detail the difficulties that resulted in the structure of the Canal.

For instance, farms were typically divided up, services were confronted with brand-new hardships, and the canal formed nature in an entire new method. While it obviously represented development, the government also took a much higher function than it formerly had. For instance, as the marketplace broadened, the government took an active function in stepping in with financial development. The start of the book starts, “Oysters! Oysters! Gorgeous Oysters,” as the heading of a Batavia, New york city paper stated in 1824.

The achievement of discovering Oysters up until now from the sea symbolized a very notable accomplishment that had actually previously appeared difficult. It was a day-to-day suggestion to the people living along the Canal that transportation had actually successfully changed and had re-shaped the lives of millions of everyday Americans. In addition, one of the most fascinating realities given by the author is that lots of people died from drowning during the building of the canal, even though the water was only 5 feet deep, because really few people throughout that time duration might really swim.

In addition, a lot of people died in the night for standing on the top of the boat and getting hit by a bridge – giving a new meaning to duck! One of the main themes that the author addressed was the fact that by building the Erie Canal, the population significantly increased in the New York area. However, the Canal brought all sorts of travelers to New York City, as well as Philadelphia and Baltimore, quite possibly the largest and most populous cities at that time. Towns in New York, particularly Rochester, Buffalo, and Schenectady helped contribute a large amount of both wealth and importance to New York.

The Canal helped to increase trade throughout the rest of the nation by opening eastern and overseas markets. In addition, more ethnic communities, such as the Irish, began forming in some of the smaller towns along the routes of the Canal. Irish immigrants made up a huge portion of the labor force involved in the construction, so it was only natural for those working on the Canal to relocate closer to its actual location. The progress and transformation that the Erie Canal brought also brought a new set of challenges for residents and legislators.

The canal split many farms causing great problems to many farmers who wanted bridges to get to their farms, the low bridges were a hazard to canal passengers and traffic. Water diverted for the canal and locks created water shortages though the region. Leaks in the canal caused flooding on some farms and created mosquito infested ponds, which were fertile grounds for malaria epidemics. The author addressed the fact that because so many immigrants traveled on the canal, genealogists have been trying to find passenger manifestos that include complete passenger lists.

However, this has been nearly impossible, as it was not required by law for these ships to include passenger manifestos, thus making it highly unlikely to determine a solid number as to how many traveled via the Canal. However, because of the immense population growth, crime in these areas also increased. For example, Ditch diggers who lived in shantytowns, who drank and cusses, who tore down fences caused consternation among the inhabitants who feared that the county was creating a permanent underclass.

When the digging was done and the diggers gone they were replaces with another underclass, the boat drivers, who drank, cussed, robbed and whored making the areas adjoining the canal crime-ridden. Overall, this was an excellent and very interesting book. Not only was it well-written, it was actually fun to learn about how much the Erie Canal actually changed the lives of everyday Americans. Rarely do history classes, or the History Channel cover such a small topic, yet it truly changed America between the War of 1812 and the Civil War.