WCNY CPB
The Impact of the Erie Canal on America

National Impact

“Although New York built the canal and charged tolls, the Erie fully justified the (canal commissioners’) predictions that it would benefit the nation…It promoted commerce, settlement, and prosperity, as they had foreseen. Other states soon wished to imitate New York’s success. The Erie Canal also helped bind together and strengthen the northern states in the decades leading up to the Civil War.”

– Ronald E. Shaw, Enlisting National Support essay

Watch the video below about the national impact of the Erie Canal. Pay attention to the Canal’s influence on the two cities of New Orleans and New York City, 19th century abolitionists, and the production and use of salt.

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Salt wasn’t just important for preserving food before there was refrigeration, but was also needed to create leather for boots and saddles for horses. In Roman times, soldiers were sometimes paid in salt, which is why the Latin word for salary is rooted in the Latin term for salt!  

Take Notes

Fill in the chart below with the ways the Erie Canal affected each of the following: