The Erie Canal and its effects - Research Paper Example

The Erie Canal and its effects There is so much history in the Erie Canal. The construction of the canal started in 1817 and ended in 1825. It connects Lake Erie in the west and the Hudson River in the east. The canal is magnificent and some referred to it as the eighth wonder of the world. The purpose of the canal was to access the West to settlers. It also offered a safe and cheap passage for goods and human traffic. Initially the proposal to build the canal was founded in 1768 and it was to join Hudson River with Lake Ontario. In 1808, a survey was carried out and it was decided that the canal would connect to Lake Erie. Governor Dewitt Clinton led the ground breaking to the construction of the canal in 4 July 1817 (Sadowski). At the time, the canal was known as the “Clinton big ditch”. Upon completion, the name was changed from Clinton’s big ditch, to the Erie Canal. Its length was 363 miles long. It had a depth of 1.2 meters and a width of 12 meters. There were 85 locks constructed to manage a 150-meter rise in height from the Hudson River to Buffalo. Overhead channels were used in order for streams to pass the canal. The cost of building the canal was high. However, this cannot be compared with the reduction in shipping cost. The ease of conducting business along the canal, led to sprouting of farms, development and migration to the Midwest. The link between the east and the west was eased and trade increased in these areas. Due to increased activities on the canal, it was widened in 1862. It was widened to 70 feet and the depth increased to 7 feet. This was to allow more and bigger ships use the canal. In 1882 the tolls for using the canal was scrapped. This was because the money used to construct the canal had been recovered. When the canal was opened, other canals were constructed to link the channel to other lakes. Some of the lakes connected to the canal were Lake Champlain, Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario. Later the Erie Canal and other canals in its vicinity were collectively known as the New York state canal system. These days the canals are used for leisure and as tourist attractions (Rosenberg). How the Erie Canal led to an economic revolution By opening up the west, the Erie Canal is said to be the mother of economic revolution. The canal gave people residing in the west (mainly farmers) access to markets in the west. In addition, the transportation was cheaper. Before commissioning of the canal, the cost of transporting grains to the east was 10 times higher than the original cost. When traders started using the canal the price fell by 90%. Total tolls collected in the first full year in operations of the canal almost got to the half million mark. Business continued with this tread making it easy to pay the construction fee in a few years. This allowed anyone to use the canal free. The Erie Canal evoked lots of development along the Hudson canal. New cities sprung out amid Buffalo and Syracuse. All these cities were given names ending with the word port. This indicated new docks and packing facilities along the canal. New factories were set up in these towns. Mainly the factories processed iron, hats and clothes. Especially in Albany and Rochester, these factories succeeded. In Oneida County, there were over 16 factories, employing over 700 employees. In the same county there were over 20 cotton mills, employing over 2000 employees. New York City became a strategic port for many foreign countries because of the Erie Canal. New York had an edge over other ports along the Atlantic shoreline. This is because the Erie Canal connected rich lands inside the United States and the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The link between these two places was not interrupted thus making transportation cost lower. The success attributed to the canal contributed to additional canals being built across the continent. By 1840, the joint lengths of all canals constructed surpassed the length around the continent. The canals were used to unite the east and the west, the north and the south (Kabanov). This created cheaper trade across the country. It also increased foreign trade from the countries surrounding the Atlantic Ocean. How the Erie Canal led to the sectional division between the north and south In the early 19th century, the society was deeply distorted. This was started gradually after the World War 2. The following years saw swift commercial and regional expansion. This era saw the birth of different political and religious views. New movements were created in attempts to control the labor industry. Development in the north and south followed different paths. In the 1860, there were over 50% residents in the north than in the south. The north was more developed than the south. This made the north attract more European settlers. The economy of the north was more stable than that of the south. The north invested heavily in agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation. This rift was further ignited by the Erie Canal. The south was more reserved. They did not embrace technology though their lands were rich. Half of the population of the south was still in slavery (Mintz). The difference in cultures and ideas brought about a big rift between the north and the south. The divide was further worsened when there was an economic shift from agriculture to industrialization. When the Erie Canal was constructed, most of settlers were farmers but the canal offered a new opportunities. The north embraced different economic activities. This made the economy of the north to be stronger. For the economy to grow the north tried to control the canal this did not sit well with the south. There was immense competition over control of the canal. The north tried to convert slave territories in the south to have more control of the canal. The development brought about by the canal attracted many foreigners that settled in the north. This was because the north was more welcoming and open to new ideas. The south was not so welcoming to new people who wanted to settle in the south. The south wanted to preserve their wealth among the few wealthy famers. They wanted everyone else to work for them with minimal or no pay. There were certain cartels from the south that wanted to control the Erie Canal so that they could make money from transportation of goods from the north (Dits Engineering). How the division created by the Erie Canal led to the Civil War. The main reason for the civil war in the United States was the sectional division. The north and south did not see eye to eye on various issues. These issues cause a big rift between the north and the south. The north saw it fit new states not to allow slavery, terming the practice barbaric and uncultured. However, the south had a different opinion. Nevertheless, the main reason why the north did not want to allow slavery was that it would make the south stronger. This is because the state that allowed slavery would have more votes in the House of Representatives (Dits Engineering). This ignited the civil war because when any state entered the United States there was heated debate whether the state would be a free state or a slave state. The fugitive slave increased the hostility between the north and the south. The differences became worse to the point where the south wanted to be individual country. Finally, the south decided to break the union due to never ending arguments. The north also wanted to be one nation with more factories and no slavery. The north had 22 states most of them with iron factories. The south had 11 states that were mainly farming states. The south wanted slaves to work in their farms. The southern people wanted slaves to work for them because they knew working in the farms was hard. Also sometimes, the south was extremely warm making it hard for them to farm. The north did not need slaves because the works in factories were not hard. The north also offered refuge to slaves who had fled the south. This aggravated the situation further. They never allowed the south to repossess their slaves (Dits Engineering). The Erie Canal connected the east and the west, and so created a boundary between the north and the south. With each side calming ownership of the canal, there was bound to be problems. The south wanted to use the canal for farming and transportation this is why they wanted to own the canal. There was also the issue of who contributed the most in the canal building. The south also wanted to control the economy of the region. They knew if they controlled the canal, the economy would tilt in their way. This is because they would limit access to the north and attract investments to their area. Most commercial docks along the Erie Canal were built in the north. This is because the north was more of industries and production sites. The south felt this was not right and had a problem with the docks on the north. This is what threatened to split the United States into two (Mintz). Work cited Dits Engineering. How was the civil war caused by sectional differences between the north and South? 2012. Web. 2 Dec 2013. . Kabanov. A history and an economic impact of the Erie Canal 2013. Web. 2 Dec 2013. . Mintz, Steve. Overview of the Pre-Civil War Era 2013. Web. 2 Dec 2013. . Rosenberg, Matt. The Building of the Great Western Canal 2013. Web. 2 Dec 2013. . Sadowski, Frank. Clinton’s Big Ditch 2012. Web. 2 Dec 2013. . Read More