Traveling in the 1800s

Today you can talk to people or send them something electronically whether they're close by or far away. Trucks, trains, and jets can transport—move—products across the country and the world in hours or days. But things were very different in the early 1800s.

Back then, the latest development in transportation was the Erie Canal. This canal—a waterway made for travel—changed the future of the United States of America. In this lesson, we're going to look at the major changes brought about by the construction of the Erie Canal.