Erie Canal Presentation
Third slide (Older pictures)
Describe all of the challenges that they faced during construction - Haters - Some were against it because they said it would cost too much money and it wouldn't be worth it. The cost of the canal would eventually exceed 7 million dollars, but was quickly paid off. The next slide has a chart that will elaborate on that. - Disease - Malaria and Pneumonia made many ill and killed off many workers. - Terrain - The construction of the Erie Canal had to be built through mountainous terrain and dense rock. The workers also had to clear the land by hand and animal power. This was obviously exhausting work. Yet, once the start of construction, it took 8 years to finish the project.
Sixth slide ("Moving" map)
Explain picture - I thought this image was specifically interesting because it for one lights up in different colors but also displays New York's population increasing before and after the construction of the canal. See how the colors get darker? ALL impacts - But you may ask other than quadrupling New York City's population between 1820 and 1850, what were some other impacts that the canal had? Well, the canal put many people to work, most notably Irish immigrants. It opened up trade in the Midwest, as farmers now had a cheaper way to get their goods to markets. Some impacts that I found particularly interesting were that the Erie Canal was used as part of the Underground Railroad and helped many enslaved people escape to Canada. But it also led to the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in order to make more room for the population growth SUM EVERYTHING UP
Fourth slide (Chart/Graph)
Explain the chart - This chart compares the expenditures and revenues of the Erie Canal. It displays the expenditures, the amount of the money spent on the canal, and the revenues, the income of the canal. This chart references back to the people who said that the canal would cost too much money and wouldn't be worth it. The chart proves those people wrong and instead displays that the Erie Canal had large amounts of profits and the expenditures were significantly less than the revenues. Canal was opened in 1825 and the railroads first started being used in the early 1860s. So as you can see, the money starts rolling in shortly after its opening (*show on the graph) and starts to lose money much later during the early 1860s. Economic Influences that the canal had - Some economic influences that the canal had brought were a great deal of wealth to New York. This canal was much more efficient than the traditional horse and buggy and by 1853, the Erie Canal carried 62 percent of all U.S. trade.
Fifth slide (Image that I made)
Explain the image - As referenced earlier, there were some "haters" that opposed the construction of the canal. A specific example of one of these haters was Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson opposed the use federal money to build a canal and he is noted for saying that the project is "little short of madness". -The reason Thomas Jefferson is saying "Clinton's Dump" is because the Erie Canal was referenced to by many haters as "Clinton's Dump" named after DeWitt Clinton.
Second slide (More modern pictures)
Governmental Influence In 1817 Congress did pass an act providing for the funding of a canal for New York but President James Madison vetoed the bill. That same year DeWitt Clinton was elected to the governorship of New York. With Governor Clinton's support a bill was passed which provided for the construction of the Erie canal.
Describe the (economic, social, etc) impacts of the Erie Canal.
Major impacts of the Erie Canal included economic boost for many cities, cheaper and more efficient trade, more jobs, a population increase, helped slaves escape, removed the Native Americans from their homeland, spread diseases, and influenced immigration to the midwest.
What were some challenges that the construction of the Canal faced?
Many examples include mountainous terrain and dense rock that needed to be cleared in order to build, engineers had little experience, and sickness killed off many.
What US city did the Erie Canal have the biggest impact on?
New York City--The canal transformed New York City into the commercial capital it remains today.
Where was the Erie Canal located?
The Erie Canal connects Lake Erie with the Atlantic Ocean in upstate New York
Who built the Erie Canal?
The governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton, was the main advocate for the construction.
First slide (Map)
What is the Erie Canal? - Also known as the New York Canal or the Great Western Canal, the Erie Canal was a 363-mile waterway in New York. It connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean or the Hudson River to Lake Erie (Explain and point to the map)
