A Waterway to the Interior
The New York State Canal System is the most commercially enduring and historically significant canal way in the United States. This waterway played a key role in turning New
York City into our country's most important center for commerce, industry, and finance. Besides spurring growth in the Mohawk and Hudson valleys, these canals helped open up
western America for settlement. For many years, the canals transported much of the Midwest's agricultural and industrial products to domestic and international markets.
The Canal's Beginning
In the early 19th century, New York State Governor De Witt Clinton had a vision of constructing a canal crossing New York and connecting Albany and Buffalo. Some people were
critical of Clinton's idea. They labeled the project "Clinton's Ditch." Even so, Governor Clinton was not discouraged. The result was a 364-mile-long water route connecting the Hudsomm
River (at Albany) with the Great Lakes (at Buffalo). This was the first all-water link between the Atlantic seaboard and the Great Lakes.
Begun in 1817, the canal actually had its roots in an earlier time period, nearly 50 years prior. American General Philip Schuyler had pioneered the idea of canals in northern New
York. Schuyler was an enduring figure from the American Revolutionary War. He died in 1804, and did not see his dreams for a New York canal become a reality. His plans and
drawings, however, went into the design and creation of a successful canal system.
When it opened in 1825, the Erie Canal almost immediately revolutionized trade, commerce, and transportation. The uncomfortable two-week wagon or stagecoach trip from
Albany to Buffalo became possible in merely five days. This was less than half the time the journey usually took. Freight rates fell to just 10 percent of their previous cost. The result
was increasing profit margins for merchants.
The Erie Canalway quickly became a "must do travel experience. People marveled at the canal's locks and low bridges and encountered colorful characters, lively adventures,
and hometown hospitality all along the way.
As more commerce with western New York became a reality, the importance of New York City as an Atlantic port multiplied. Western New York farmers, loggers, miners, and
manufacturers found their economic hands could reach farther than ever before. Shipping and trade, and society in general, in New York City flourished.
An Unexpected Effect
Not only did the Erie Canal open the American interior to increased trade, commerce, and settlement, but it also became an "information superhighway" for new ideas. Social
reforms like abolitionism, women's rights, utopianism (attempts to create ideal societies), and various religious movements thrived in the canal corridor.
More Growth and Change
The success of the Erie Canal required expansion of the Canal to accommodate more and larger boats. As that growth continued, it sparked the creation of canal systems across
the eastern United States as well as Canada.
Eventually, the wave of canal enthusiasm diminished. As trains came onto the scene, canals began to take a back seat to the speed and versatility of locomotives. The creation of
the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 even further reduced commercial traffic on the Erie Canal.
What statement best describes how the passage is primarily organized?