Erie Canal

Essay by Gidz.08High School, 12th gradeA+, March 2009

download word file, 8 pages 5.0

During the early 19th century, the United States was undergoing some major transformation. The Great Awakening (1790-1840), that not only led to religious revival, but also expanded to topics such as Temperance movement and to women's rights was one of the major changes in the United States. Further, the War of 1812 was also a significant event in the United States' history. To add to the impressive resumé, the Unites States showed the rest of the world that it was capable of constructing one of the greatest technological and transportational achievements in the 19th century: the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal, built during 1817-1825, connected the Eastern part of America, to the interiors. It ran from Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie. The New York City mayor, De Witt Clinton, proposed this and was the main man behind this amazing proposal to build canals. Due to the fact that the canal was built in New York, it influenced the economy, the population and the future importance of it.

In this essay, I will discuss three major ways in which the building of Erie Canal helped in the awakening of American Nationalism. First, the Erie Canal promoted interactions within the states. Due to the fact that transportation was more efficient, it opened doors to national market for raw materials and manufactured goods. Second, the Erie Canal promoted interactions between Americans. Not only were the Americans able to trade with each other, they were also able to acquire new ideas, discover new philosophies and learn about people's opinions. Third, the canal helped unify the nation as it was more of a national identity than just one state's identity. The Canal turned into a symbol of pride, of oneness and became a new distinguished American identity. Americans now had something...