2. Key Questions (GO: 8 box Note-taking foldable)
1. Why was the Erie Canal important? 2. How was it’s creation an example of vision and determination? 3. How did the Erie Canal impact transportation, trade, and economics for the new nation? 4. How is the building of the Erie Canal an engineering marvel? 5. What were some concerns about negative impacts of the canal? 6. How did its success create new problems?

3. Background

4. Map Study

5. Map Study

6. Map Study

7. Video Notes

8. Impact
Economic Impact 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 --less than half the time. Freight rates fell to just 10 percent of their previous cost, markedly increasing the profit margin. 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. It also became an "information superhighway" for new ideas. Social reforms like abolitionism, women's rights, utopianism, and various religious movements thrived in the canal corridor.

9. Impact of the Erie Canal

10. Impact 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, and Canada as well.
Eventually, the wave of canal enthusiasm waned. 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. Now, New York's canal system has a new life as a venue for water- and land-based recreation and learning about our nation's heritage.

11. Map Study

12. Impact of the Erie Canal