How Did The Erie Canal Affect The Economy

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The Erie Canal was an instant success in the United States. It did not acquire a lot of support in the beginning of the building process but later was proved to be very beneficial to the entire country. The canal helped strengthen the United States economically. The Erie Canal led to economic growth in the United States by, increasing the speed of transporting goods, connecting the East to the Midwest to develop jobs and new markets and also created trade opportunities to the rest of the world.
The Erie Canal gained economic growth by speeding up the shipment process of goods. The amount of time it took to transport goods was reduced down by a third. Economic growth is increased when supply chains and goods reach the consumer at a fast pace, this fuels the economy and more people spend more money. A boat traveling down a canal is a much faster transportation method than a wagon riding along dirt road. The canal method transports goods 13 days quicker than the wagon method (Document 2). It is evident that the Erie Canal was a well spent …show more content…

The Erie Canal unified people in the Midwest of the country and people in the East. This unification allowed the development of jobs and new markets to arise.The Erie Canal expands from the Hudson River all the way over to Lake Erie, which connects the Midwest to New york (Document 3). The Erie Canal brought many people into the New York area. New York is a known area for having plenty of jobs. Many people would come into New York through the Erie Canal to get jobs or start new markets. The canal connection between the East and the Midwest also allowed for trading and selling of different goods to occur.This allows for more money to be made since it opens up new places to trade and sell goods to. It was important that the Erie Canal was developed because without it the United States would not made as much money as they

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