US Events: Construction of the Erie Canal

Inspired by the explosion of successful canal building in Britain in the late 18th Century, the state of New York desired to develop a canal system of its own for the transport and distribution of goods, people and raw materials around the state. The solution to this came with the construction of the Erie Canal, which began in 1817 and was completed in 1825. This canal, which is still in existence today, runs 363 miles from Albany, New York to Buffalo, New York, connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Because this canal connected the eastern seaboard of the United States to the mid-west via the Great Lakes, it allowed for the easier distribution of manufactured goods from the east to the west, as well as the export of agricultural products such as grain, particularly following the repeal of Britain's Corn Laws. The canal also provided an easy mode of transportation for the large number of European immigrants as they traveled to the newly expanding mid-west in search of work.