DBQ: The Erie Canal

The first period from 1825-1850 is the strongest period of the canal industry. The Erie Canal was a success with transport and as a source of revenue. The railroads during this time didn’t carry much freight until the end of this period, but over time passengers moved toward the railroad for transportation instead of the canal. The Erie Canal was so successful early on that it tended to stunt the growth and development of the railroads within New York. In 1841, the Western Railway reached Greenbush opposite Albany thus giving Boston a direct if somewhat disconnected rail route to Buffalo.

The Erie Canal changed the United States through increasing the economy, transportation/trade, and this all led to women 's rights. The Erie Canal changed the U.S. through increasing the economy. The Erie Canal earned more money than the state of Ohio spent. If you look at Chart 2 you can see that the revenue line is higher than the expenditures line from about the years 1827 to 1860. This means that from about 1827 to about 1860 the Erie Canal helped the

The Erie Canal has a considerably colossal effect on not only enhancing New York but also quickly escalating America's incomes. As chart 2 displays, when they had engineered the Erie Canal they couldn't imagine the magnitude of change this would bring. From 1825 to 1855 the were spending 200,000 dollars on things like repairing the canal, yet they were acquiring 450,000 dollars creating a profit of 250,000 dollars. " Within 15 years of the

With the invention of the steamboat many families had the option of migration, specifically from the east to the west, by the Erie Canal. The completion of the Erie Canal set off a scramble among other states to match New York’s success. Several borrowed so much money to finance elaborate programs of canal construction that they went bankrupt during the economic depression that began in 1837. By then, however, more than 3,000 miles of canals had been built, creating a network linking the Atlantic states with the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys and drastically reducing the cost of transportation. The Market Revolution led to the rise of the Cotton Kingdom; While the North became an industrial and manufacturing powerhouse, the South became a cotton kingdom, founded on slavery.

After this invention the people will never know a world without machine transportation. Before the railroad, it took almost six months and costed up $1000 to travel between California and New York. After the transcontinental railroad was completed, it costed $150 and took one week. Easier business travel allowed growth through expanding markets and

Between 1870 and 1900, an estimated 25 million immigrants had made their way to the United States. This era, titled the Gilded Age, played an extremely important role in the shaping of American society. The United States saw great economic growth and social changes; however, as the name suggested, the Gilded Ages hid a profound number of problems. During this period of urbanization, the publicizing of wealth and prosperity hid the high rates of poverty, crime, and corruption. European immigrants who had come to the United States in search of jobs and new opportunities had fallen into poverty as well as poor working and living conditions.

The Erie Canal was the start of great economic growth in America, but specifically New York. As Document 1A states, “By 1825, the Erie Canal gave another boost to New York’s already busy seaports.”(Doc 1.) This lets us know that although the seaports in New York were fairly busy, the Erie Canal made it one of the leading seaports in America. The Canal not only boosted the seaports, but it had a lot more success than dirt roads used. Using the canal, you can get to where you need to be within 8 days, rather than 21 days in a wagon.

Not only did the journey take months to travel from the East to the West by train, but the cost of a ticket was outrageous for most people residing in the U.S. at the time. Only the most privileged families could purchase a train ticket of such prices, but they had not much of a reason to move westward either. Since purchasing a ticket cost unreasonable amounts and the journey took an extremely long time, the Transcontinental Railroad would not have been a feasible explanation for the massive internal migrations that occurred in the United States from

For example, Charleston, South Carolina had a higher population than Baltimore, Maryland in 1790, but soon afterwards Baltimore experienced a rapid urban growth rate rivaling other major port cities in the United States, while Charleston decreased in its importance. In addition, George Rogers Taylor attributes the Napoleonic Wars as a factor leading to growth of U.S cities. The wars in Europe allowed for American farms and forests to take center stage in trade as American ships have become a hot commodity during that time. Being in such position allowed the Four Great Eastern Seaports (New York, Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia) to flourish, additionally these 4 cities at the time were about one half of the entire urban population of the United States. Although cities were growing in a steady rate there was a period of decline in decades of 1810 to 1820.

The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2) While some argue that illegal immigrants burden the United States of America and its economy, others believe that they have become essential and are an important part of the US, economy.