Erie Canal questions

-who planned or constructed the canal and when it was finished

-the benefits and disadvantages of the construction of the can an who experienced them

-how the construction of the canal supported nation building or imperialism

-the role technology played in the construction of the canal and empire building

Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. An engineering marvel when it was built, some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.

This was very beneficial to people whose jobs consisted of delivering goods across long distances. A few of the disadvantages of the building of the Erie Canal were that it cost seven million dollars to complete.

It was built as a commercial transportation route. Barges were towed by mules, up and down the canal. This facilitated westward expansion. It was replaced by railroads, which were faster and could reach further. A canal has to be level, for the water to remain in it. A train can run up and down slopes and through dry areas and dry seasons. A canal is only useful if it is full of water.

The erie canal was for nation building and was north america's most successful + influential public works project built between 1817 + 1825 this 363 mile long canal was the first all water link between the atlantic seaboard and great lakes

There was very little in the way of 'technology' as we know it used in the building of canals in the nineteenth century. Animals were used to pull carts hauling away the soil as the digging of the waterway went ahead while large groups of labourers dug out the soil with basic tools such as spades and pick axes. There may have been some animal driven machinery to plough up the soil but it would still need to have manpower to move it from the bottom of the canal to a cart to be carried off.