The economic value of the Erie Canal is immeasurable. It allowed New York City to establish a trade position and become one of the world’s dominant commercial centers . People and products moved West, creating a market for produce in the Midwest. Populations boomed.
How did the Erie Canal affect the economy of New York?
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.”
How did the Erie Canal benefit New York?
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.
What did the Erie Canal do to make New York an economic powerhouse?
The Erie Canal also provided an economic boost to the entire United States by allowing the transport of goods at one-tenth the previous cost in less than half the previous time . By 1853, the Erie Canal carried 62 percent of all U.S. trade.
How did the Erie Canal help to develop the market economy in the North?
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, economic expansion spurred the building of canals to speed goods to market . ... The Erie Canal made an immense contribution to the wealth and importance of New York City, which became the chief U.S. port, and it fostered a population surge in western New York State.
How many Irish died building the Erie Canal?
While there are no official records of immigrant deaths, somewhere between 8,000 and 30,000 are believed to have perished in the building of the New Basin Canal, many of whom are buried in unmarked graves in the levee and roadway fill beside the canal.
Why was the Erie Canal so successful?
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.
Does Erie Canal still exist?
Nearly 200 years old and still going strong. New York’s canal system has been in continuous operation since 1825 , longer than any other constructed transportation system on the North American continent. Over the years, it has been enlarged three times to accommodate larger boats and more traffic.
How long did the Erie Canal take to build?
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.
What is the Erie Canal used for today?
Since the 1990s, the canal system has been used primarily by recreational traffic, although a small but growing amount of cargo traffic still uses it. Today, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor covers 524 miles (843 km) of navigable water from Lake Champlain to the Capital Region and west to Buffalo .
What were the positive effects of the Erie Canal choose three?
The Erie Canal had many positive effects. It opened up trade in the Midwest , as farmers now had a cheaper way to get their goods to markets. The canal put many people to work, most notably Irish immigrants. It also gave Albany and Buffalo an economic boost.
Why was whaling an opportunity for African-Americans?
Even more than other maritime trades, because of its hazardous nature and ever present demand for workers , whaling provided more opportunities and better-paying employment for African-Americans.
What are three impacts of the Erie Canal on New York and America?
The Erie Canal was then proposed and created as an efficient transportation lane, lowering the cost of shipping and increasing trade, spreading machinery and manufactured goods , making the United States more economically independent and establishing some of the country’s most prominent cities.
How deep is the Erie Canal 2021?
At its center, the canal is 12 feet deep . The guard gate is marked clearly with “No Trespassing” signs, and the only way to get to the top is by scaling the gate’s steel scaffolding.
Is it safe to swim in the Erie Canal?
Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the Erie Canal, dangers lurk. State law prohibits swimming, diving or fishing in any canal lock chambers , from the lock walls or from any other canal structure. ...
How did they dig 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.
