What was the Erie Canal built for?
3 min read
Asked by: Jamie Brown
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.
Why was the Ohio Erie Canal built?
The OHIO AND ERIE CANAL, connecting Lake Erie at Cleveland with the Ohio River at Portsmouth, was constructed by the State of Ohio between 1825-32 to provide cheap transportation and to promote the state’s economic development.
What are 3 benefits of the Erie Canal?
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.
When was the Ohio canal used?
Operation (1833–1913)
The canals enjoyed a period of prosperity from the 1830s to the early 1860s, with maximum revenue between 1852 and 1855. During the 1840s, Ohio was the third most prosperous state, owing much of that growth to the canal.
Why were canals built north of the Ohio River and in the northeast?
Farmers and business owners would be able to transport their products much more easily and cheaply with canals rather than turnpikes. They also hoped that canals would open new markets for Ohio goods.
Why did US leaders want to build the Erie Canal?
It allowed more access to different areas using horse, wagons, etc that needed land to travel with. Making it easier to trade within different cities/towns that wasn’t near a canal, river, or any type of water that could use transportation.
What was the goal of the Erie Canal quizlet?
What was the goal of the Erie Canal? The goal was to sustain the frontiers.
What was one major effect of the Erie Canal?
What was one major effect of the opening of the Erie Canal? The cost of shipping goods on eastern roads increased.
Does the Erie Canal still exist?
Nearly 200 years old and still going strong.
What 2 bodies of water does the Erie Canal connect?
The Erie Canal, connecting the Hudson River valley with the Great Lakes, was completed in 1825 at a cost of $7 million.
How did the Erie Canal affect New York City?
The canal put New York on the map as the Empire State—the leader in population, industry, and economic strength. It transformed New York City into the nation’s principal seaport and opened the interior of North America to settlement.
Why was the Erie Canal important?
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.
Who dug the Ohio Erie Canal?
Dug largely by Irish and German immigrants, this four-foot-deep ditch stretched 308 miles to Portsmouth on the Ohio River. By the fall of 1832, the canal promised passage from Cleveland to Cincinnati in 80 hours, a trip that had once taken weeks.
Did the Ohio and Erie Canal affect economic growth how?
The canal dramatically cut the cost of transporting goods. It opened up new markets for manufactured goods, and tied Americans living at the margins of the nation into an expanding national economy.
