Water Transportation in the Jacksonian Era Essay example -- essays pap

Water Transportation in the Jacksonian Era Water travel assisted heavily with transportation of goods and people from the American north-east to the west, which would eventually create a separation from the south. Before any canals were even built, there was a great demand for better transportation to and from the west. During this time of exploration, something was necessary in order for settlement to progress. After the canals were built, people living in to north grew exceedingly wealthy from the trading benefits of the canals. This wealth would eventually create economic differences with the southern United States(Drago 178). During the Jacksonian Era, in America, there were many changes happening, one of which was western expansion. During this time, Louis and Clark had already explored the west, but people were dying to be able to trade, and live there. With the grueling journey that would effect anyone trying to reach the west, came a new notion, of a canal that reached from Lake Erie on towards the east. This canal could transport people, as well as goods back and forth from the newly explored territory. Eventually this dream successfully became a reality. The chief builder of the Erie Canal was DeWitt Clinton, a powerful man who was to become the governor of New York. In 1816, Clinton petitioned New York legislature to let him build the canal, which was a success(Erie). The construction of the canal took about eight years, however many hardships such as floods, and malaria plagued construction. Many people also said that the canal was too short, as it originally only stretched from the Hudson to Lake Champlain. People wanted a canal that would take them all the way from Erie to Champlain. Although this created even more problems, the canal was completed successfully in 1825(Bourne 118). While all of this was going on, the ideas for another major canal were just coming together. The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal, was just beginning near the time the Erie’s construction finished up. The C&O canal would mostly be used to transport coal to Cumberland, Maryland. The building of the canal ended on June 11, 1850, at Cumberland. Although not the economic giant that the Erie was, the C&O canal reached it’s peak in 1870, during which tolls often topped $1,000(Drago 71). After the construction of the canals was finished, there was a gre... ...d many slaves, so they thought slavery was justified. In conclusion, water travel benefited many northerners, but did not help those living in the south. Eventually, this difference resulted in the south become less economically strong, ending a long trade relationship with the north, which would soon evolve into the War Between the States, or the Civil War. Bibliography Bourne, Russell. Floating West. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1992 Bourne, Russell. Floating West. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1992. page 76. Bourne, Russell. Floating West. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1992. page 83. Drago, Harry Sinclair. Canal Days in America: The History and Romance of Old Towpaths and Waterways. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1972. Drago, Harry Sinclair. Canal Days in America: The History and Romance of Old Towpaths and Waterways. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1972. page 48. Drago, Harry Sinclair. Canal Days in America: The History and Romance of Old Towpaths and Waterways. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1972. page 166. â€Å"Erie Canal.† Electric Library. 9 Jan. Hadfield, Charles. The Canal Age. New York: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers, 1968.