STEAM BOAT WILLIEAND THE

GRAND CANALThe development of Steam boats and the Canal System

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GREEN!

STEAM BOATS• Robert Fulton’s steam powered boats connected the North to the

South • His steamer made the trip on the Hudson River from New York to Albany and

back in five days

• Although rafts and riverboats continued to carry products downstream, the steamboats easily moved against the current

• Reducing traffic in the nation’s ocean harbors

• Gave farmers and merchants a cheap way of moving goods

• Ending American dependence on European shipping

• Serving as a method of connecting California and the East Coast

Robert Fulton’s steamboat aided the economic development of the United States by:

WHAT IS A CANAL?• A canal is a man made,

artificial body of water - or channel • It provides movement from

one body of water to another body of water• The water within the canal

remains almost motionless so that boats can move in both directions.

THE CANAL FRENZY

• A growing canal system connected major manufacturing centers together. These artificial waterways linked interior areas to natural waterways creating a new form of transportation

• 1825: the Erie Canal the first major canal project, was completed• 363 miles in length• Connected Albany and Buffalo

• 1840: the US has over 3000 miles of canals which dropped shipping costs dramatically

• However, canals were expensive to make and were not well-maintained.

Major Canals in 1840Major Canals in 1840

STATION ACTIVITY:• Using your map create a nation wide canal system that would connect

the major waterways to major cities of the United States.

• On the back of your map answer the following questions• Why were canals created if the steamboat was already invented?• How did farmers benefit from canals?• What was the most common good shipped to the north? Why?