How The Erie Canal Transformed America - IT'S HISTORY

by many accounts the erie canal is considered   the definitive engineering marvel of the  19th century being a 363 mile waterway   through the new york wilderness it was  a crucial transport artery for over 50   000 people yet when it was first proposed the  federal government deemed the idea too ambitious   hence the task would fall to the state which went  on to accomplish construction by sheer manpower   this is the story of the erie canal i'm your  host ryan socas and you're watching it's history our story begins in the 1800s new york with  a man named jess holly born on may the 11th   1773 in geneva connecticut he was a child  when the colonies rebelled against the british   growing up with the republic and by the time  he was 30 he moved to western new york state   here he made his living by buying grain from the  eastern part of the state processing it through a   local mill before sending it back east for profits  this scheme never really brought him much profit   as he always had financial troubles the lack  of income was mainly due to the difficulty of   transport and he wasn't the only one suffering  from that problem at the time it was a challenge   that new york and the country as a whole was  facing at the time infrastructure early american   infrastructure was primitive there was no such  thing as motorways or even cross-country paths   waterways were the best transport available and  they left much to be desired the roads that did   exist were dirt and would turn into mud after  even the slightest rainfall as discussed in a   previous video chicago in particular suffered  greatly from muddy roads to the point that   they raised the entire city several feet however  chicago's solution to these problems were still   50 years away from this moment in history the  roads weren't just a problem in the rain either   in summers travelers had a completely rock hard  path ahead of them as the sun essentially forged   it into a single solid mass when horses carriage  wheels or even someone at a brisk pace walked   these roads it kicked up dirt into the air making  any traffic sure to choke on dust and that's not   even mentioning the risks from sources other than  the roads themselves one example is the expression   highway robbery today it describes when someone  feels as if they paid too much for a good or a   service implying that they were robbed the term  originates from bandits on highways that stopped   carriages and stole exorbitant amounts of money  from them as there weren't any police patrols   out to stop them highwaymen as they were known in  europe were common sights on early american roads   also known as road agents they would terrorize  america long into the times of the old   west until the u.s government established enough  of a presence in these lands to combat them fully   with police forces the roads in america were an  absolute mess and jess haley knew it however his   eyes were elsewhere at the time you see the early  1800s were an exciting time for many americans   as a new flame ignited their fever for exploration  once again that flame was the louisiana purchase   when napoleon bonaparte sold the entirety of  france's holdings known as french louisiana to   the united states with the signing of a paper and  exchange of 15 million dollars the united states   doubled in size calling this purchase a steal  would quite literally be the underestimation of   the century the united states had gotten away  with such a good deal that they could quite   literally afford to give away land however the  people of the states weren't quite so generous   in 1803 holly learned of people overcharging for  land out west which angered him to the point that   he complained to the authorities he figured that  rather than fussing about with the lower parts   of government he'd take the issue to a head so  he wrote to the then president thomas jefferson   complaining about these quote unquote capitalists  slowing development on the frontier he also had   a solution to the issues proposing a plan to  use excess federal funds to mark out towns as   ports and assist in their development claiming  that the actions would prevent these land grabs   that allowed his hated capitalists to continue  their schemes of highway robbery in the modern   sense this plan would assist in the growth of what  holly called the american empire jefferson likely   didn't pay this message much mind considering it  was railing against capitalists and calling for   the government to seize the means of production of  cities however this message does carry historical   significance as it was one of the first calls for  the government to step in and assist the people   at the expense of the wealthy elite three  years after this letter the debts incurred   by the transport inefficiency caught up to him  and holly could not pay back the loans he took   to establish his business these loans eventually  landed him in debtors prison a prison for people   who couldn't afford to pay their debts for context  in debtor's prison one could work off their debts   and the price of their incarceration through  prison labor holly spent over a year and a half   in debtor's prison mulling over the circumstances  that led to his imprisonment he eventually came to   a single conclusion one culprit that was the  source of all his woes infrastructure and as   he did when he raged against the capitalists with  their land grabs he began to write taking the pen   name hercules he advocated for jefferson's plan to  work on manufactured waterways and infrastructure   after clearing the national debt in particular  he called for a canal from buffalo to albany   these essays began attracting attention for  many people in new york and many agreed with   his calls for waterways these people found many  of their strongest arguments from his writing   and when the mask from the pen name fell away  holly found wide admiration after his stint in   debtors prison he served on the state assembly for  a session and gained an official position in the   state government 1806 saw the beginnings of calls  for a canal and they would only get louder and   louder eventually a senator would take the cause  to washington senator dewitt clinton born march   the 2nd 1769 and little britain new york grew up  with the revolution just as holly did nephew of   governor george clinton he had many ties to new  york serving as a state senator from 1798 to 1802   then a u.s senator for new york from 1802 to  1803 then as mayor of new york from 1803 to 1815   during his service as mayor of new york city  he stepped into the state senate's office   for a third term in 1806 to a state calling  for a project of previously unheard of scale   by 1809 a proposal was on the president's desk  but the idea of the canal didn't get off to a   romantic start basically thomas jefferson picked  up the document and was utterly appalled the   state of new york was asking for the government's  assistance in constructing an over 360-mile canal   from the hudson river to the great lakes this  canal would let boats sail from the new york   harbor up the hudson to albany then cross the  state in an entirely manufactured river existing   from buffalo to lake erie a project of this scale  even today would be beyond imagination jefferson   seeing the sheer manpower required for something  this massive turned down the proposal stating   that it was quote unquote little short of madness  senator clinton wasn't a man to give up so easily   however during his tenure he had constantly gone  the extra mile to serve the voice of the people   advocating for free public education removing  voting restrictions on roman catholics and   even establishing public welfare in new york  city by 1811 he brought together a new proposal   this time to the new york senate he introduced  a bill to create a commission to search for the   best route for a canal from albany to buffalo to  many this sounded suspiciously like that insane   proposal he put to the president for many in the  state this was a step too far you see jefferson   was and remains a popular president and this  blatant disregard of his opinion on the matter   was nothing short of disrespectful the united  states of 1811 only had its developing self to   rely upon so massive skill investments were chosen  carefully american politicians quickly took to   mocking this project with names such as clinton's  folly or dewitt's ditch all the same clinton was   politically savvy enough to push the bill through  the state despite opposition the commission   was approved they'll work on the commission and  by extension the canal stalled the opposition was   still very loud and it was a bit too controversial  to continue not many political advancements   happened at all in 1812 as war had once again come  to the republic trade sanctions and other disputes   had led to a formal declaration of war from the  united states to great britain and throughout the   three-year-long war an invasion went into canada  failed and canadian and british troops marched   in washington dc burning down the white house  despite heavy american losses and fewer british   and canadian losses the war of 1812 ended in a  military draw however just before peace the battle   of new orleans took place repelling a full-scale  british naval invasion aiming to take new orleans   west florida and the entire louisiana territory  this decisive victory providing just enough war   support to end the conflict on a positive note  also provided the perfect political climate for   clinton to proceed with the plans for his canal  clinton traveled to albany the state capital of   new york there he laid out his new and refined  plans for the canal and fought for their approval   after yet more debate and political maneuvering  the plans were again approved turning the most   ambitious project in the world into a state  affair since he couldn't get the president's aid   clinton pushed for the state of new york to  complete this project by itself and now you might   be wondering how he would pull it off without  the support of the federal government after all   president jefferson called his plan nothing short  of insanity well he wanted to call upon engineers   in europe to assist but they were either too busy  too expensive or dismayed by the mere concept of   carving a swath through the entirety of upper  state new york without a drop of federal funding   left with no other resource the canal commission  called upon local amateur designers to draft up   the plans for the project the rest of the world  would describe as impossible among this ragtag   crew were several self-taught engineers  inexperienced surveyors and at least one   local math teacher two chief engineers of the  project were benjamin wright and james goddess   two lawyers who got their experience surveying  land by resolving disputes wright wasted no time   in sending his assistant canvas white who we have  already learned about in other videos to study   in europe for a year white found the teachings of  leonardo da vinci to be the most useful what white   was interested in was da vinci's design for canal  locks these locks would lower and raise boats   depending on upcoming water levels which would be  invaluable for the varying elevations of upstate   new york variations of these locks would also be  used in the panama canal nearly 100 years later   as white returned to america he assisted in a  crucial discovery ordinary cement was unsuitable   for the canal construction the constant exposure  to water would wear down any typical adhesive   until it broke from water damage europe had  already faced this and created a solution   hydraulic cement it hardened and remained stiff  underwater making it perfect for projects such   as this however europe held is only stocks and  new york couldn't import any due to budgetary   constraints white faced with yet another hurdle  brought on a colleague named andrew barstall   to experiment with cement mixes eventually  they discovered a local source limestone when   appropriately prepared it formed into a widely  available and inexpensive hydraulic cement   allowing for the continuation of the project at  this point the actual progress of creating the   waterway could begin astonishingly many of these  same engineers took up axes and began clearing   the way for the canal themselves remember this  was the late 1810s there was no heavy machinery   or power tools trees had to be cut down with axes  pulled down with ratchets and moved away by hand   a ratchet could pull down the entirety of the  large ones but the smaller ones left stumps   hence a math teacher named nathan roberts stepped  in with a solution a giant stump remover powered   by a team of oxen this contraption increased  the amount of removed stumps per day tenfold   from 4 to 40. by independence day 1817 the first  ground that would make up the waterway broke work   began on digging the canal near rome new york this  90-mile strip was towards the center of the canal   with the least number of natural obstacles for  the trench any rocky cliffs or swamps would make   carving the channel infinitely more challenging so  they were actively avoiding them wherever possible   initially the state contracted local landowners  to hire their workforce for clearing land   40 feet wide four feet deep and holding tow  towpaths on either side one would think that   a state government suddenly forcing landowners  to distribute a payroll would be very unpopular   but many were excited about the project having an  extremely lucrative trade path in their backyards   was a dream for some and they were willing to  break the bank to realize it wages were 50 cents   to a dollar today which translates to around 11  to 22 dollars in today's money the first days   were excruciatingly slow every day starting  in 1818 would see only a few feet excavated   despite the efforts of 3 000 men and 700 horses  every day endeavoring to speed it up by 1819 the   utica river now known as mohawk river connected  with the seneca river however that milestone   marked the end of the easy part now the canal  face carving a path through the montezuma swamps   notorious for its disease written mosquitoes it  was here that the promises of lucrative trade   routes stopped being worth the risk and many  contractors abandoned the project the state   had hit yet another dead end most of the canal was  yet to be carved but contractors were walking out   where workers were once everywhere they now had  a significant vacancy thankfully for the state   1820 saw a massive influx of irish immigrants into  new york suddenly thousands of people were fresh   off the boat from across the atlantic and looking  for any kind of work out there and their vacancies   seemed very welcoming the key word here is seemed  welcoming as the canal progressed into the swamps   malaria began claiming lives of workers in droves  thousands of irish immigrants passed away from   what they knew as genesee fever but the project  continued as usual at the beginning of the year   the canal commission reported that three quarters  of the canal team were americans by the following   year there were so many irish on this project  that they outnumbered even the local populations   anti-irish and anti-catholic sentiment flared in  these regions and their treatment reflected it   on top of dealing with constant fights the  irish had wages of only 12 dollars a month or   264 dollars in today's money and apparently some  were paid in whiskey despite their treatment the   irish persevered they quickly gained a reputation  for doing all the most demanding and dangerous   work that nobody else wanted or could do blasting  open the canal's path often involved black powder   which was known for its unpredictability and  could claim dozens of lives if it was placed   even slightly incorrectly and the irish worked  with it regardless at last the canal commission   came to the final challenge and the most difficult  of them all the niagara escarpment the same rock   formation that makes up the niagara falls this  was an unavoidable 70-foot tall cliff blocking the   path to lake erie the standard canal locks only  went up 15 feet at most so this was the biggest   challenge and the final hurdle and many had  absolutely no idea how to approach it fortunately   nathan roberts had an innovative solution why not  just make multiple locks he drew up plans for a   staircase of boats made up of five locks providing  just the right altitude to scale up the escarpment   this design proved so successful that the nearby  town changed its name in celebration lockport   however there was still one question where  would they get all the water for these locks   the solution seemed obvious lake erie was right  there however the niagara escarpment was pure   bedrock the only way to clear path was black  powder so up step the irish to blast the seven   mile path from lockport to the lake  to avoid using black power the entire   time the irish also heated the bedrock with fire  and poured ice-cold water on it to crack the rocks   which they could then clean as usual however  the bedrock wouldn't pose the only challenge   more anti-irish sentiment found a home in  lockport as well leading to a violent riot in 1822   anyhow the irish would finish the deep cut and  many chose to settle in lockport forming a proud   irish settlement in upstate new york by 1825 the  canal commission had done the impossible the new   waterway was immediately put into use in trade  and transport rapidly becoming a vital artery   in the american expansion westward the first boat  to traverse the grand canal was the seneca chief   and aboard it was senator dewitt clinton eager to  travel through what was once called the wits folly   through the erie canal the great lakes had a link  to new york city harbor which proved invaluable   for cities like chicago and detroit it had become  so successful that an extension of 70 feet wide   and seven feet deep was necessary within a decade  of its opening the rest of the world was in utter   disbelief what was once called impossible and  insane had been done in little over a decade   the erie canal was the first major industrial  undertaking of the united states and something   that the rest of the world had never seen before  even more importantly the canal solidified new   york city as the united states commercial capital  believe it or not before 1825 philadelphia   boston and new orleans were more important now  thanks to the new canal a boat could sail from   the great lakes to the atlantic ocean in 10 days  new york suddenly became the gateway to the west   for the rest of the world as time went on the  19th century would not see an engineering feat   nearly as enormous and successful as the erie  canal the once self-made bunch of engineers that   developed the canal had now become graduates  of the so-called erie school of engineering   initially just a figure of speech that quantified  the sheer amount of learning and experience they   underwent to create the canal however it became  literal as in 1824 a school of engineering took   root at the mouth of the erie canal in a town  called troy new york this school would become   known as the rensselaer polytechnic institute  the nation's first civil engineering institute   even though other routes of transport now exist  the erie canal is still in frequent use as larger   boats than ever before still pass its waters the  historic marvel is also a popular destination for   tourist boats like kayaks and canoes which  travelers use to traverse these waterways   consider what a special notion that is this is one  of the few pieces of industry the us has from the   1800s still in use and unlike many of our lost  marvels people still adore it the united states   of america is a truly unique nation but in some  ways the erie canal was one of the first times   it showed what it was made of from its engineers  to the irish ditch diggers it's a testament that   when you empower a basic man with a vision his  capability might even surprise the president   of the republic with new york as an international  entryway the united states would call to the world   give me your tired your poor your huddled masses  yearning to breathe free i lift my lamp beside the   golden door for many perhaps that golden door led  straight to the erie canal before you go subscribe   don't miss our video about the lost canals  of new jersey this is ryan socash signing off

Channel: IT'S HISTORY

Views: 329,078

Keywords: American history, Erie Canal, New York, Thomas Jefferson, DeWitt Clinton, Jesse Hawley, Infrastructure, Waterways, President, Andrew Jackson, Hercules, DeWitt’s Ditch, Canal Locks, Debtor’s Prison, Highway Robbery, Irish Immigrants, Lockport, Montezuma Swamps, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Falls, Erie School of Engineering, Canvass White, Seneca River, Utica River, Mohawk River, Construction, Nathan Roberts, Benjamin Wright, mega projects, whendever productions

Id: aAGYXgzHkeY

Length: 21min 13sec (1273 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 09 2021