Ronald E. Shaw - Canals for a Nation: The Canal Era in the United States, 1790-1860
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Canals for a Nation: The Canal Era in the United States, 1790-1860
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2. Great Lakes to Atlantic: Canals of New York and New England
30
3. Mid-Atlantic Network: Pennsylvania and New Jersey
58
4. Chesapeake and Southern Canals
98
5. Canals of the Old Northwest
126
6. The Canal Network
160
7. The Canal Era in Politics and Economic Development
198
Notes
237
Bibliographical Essay
265
Index
274
Illustrations Follow Page 118
Page ix
Preface
The Canal Era was a major phase of America's nineteenth century transportation revolution. Canals lowered transportation costs, carried a vast grain trade from western farms to eastern ports, and delivered Pennsylvania coal to New Jersey and New York. They created new towns and cities and contributed to American economic growth.
My earlier study of the Erie Canal led me to undertake a survey of the history of American canals, which would reflect the economic studies that have emphasized the role of government and mixed enterprise in canal building, as well as the more recent emphasis on canals and the preservation of republicanism in the new American nation. In this synthesis my approach is comparative, showing the transfer of European technology to America, the remarkable success of the Erie Canal, and the competition for trunk-line routes linking eastern cities to the transAppalachian West.
I have found common themes in the work of engineers who carried their skills from state to state, the near-heroic figures who devoted their lives to canals; similar crises in canal financing; the need to create and sustain political support; the mixed enterprise underlying both publicly and privately-built canals; the presence almost everywhere of Irish laborers enduring brutal conditions of work; and the heady response to canal travel.
For me, American canals were audacious achievements of engineering and construction, often in nearly impossible terrain. They were incremental triumphs accomplished in spite of all the uncertainties of the political process. Localism and self-serving political logrolling were clearly evident, but I have attempted to describe American canals as a transportation network that was frequently justified or celebrated in expressions of nationalism. One aspect of this nationalism was the preservation of republicanism, to be strengthened by canals that would
Page x
bind the union together. This is not a quantitative study, but it does reveal the great economic impact of American canals, whether or not they were directly profitable or were more developmental in influence. My background has been that of an academic historian, but I have also incorporated some of the work of the burgeoning canal societies, which should be recognized for their expertise in interpreting and preserving the physical remains of the canals.
Research for this study has been supported by Miami University through summer research fellowships, assigned research leaves, and research grants. The Indiana Historical Society has kindly granted permission to use in chapters 5, 6, and 7 materials drawn from my chapter, "The Canal Era in the Old Northwest," in Transportation and the Early Nation (Indianapolis 1982).
I am indebted to many people for their contributions to this project. Ralph D. Gray assisted me on recent canal scholarship and used his careful editorial hand as he read an early version of the manuscript. Lance E. Metz reviewed my initial manuscript and suggested revisions, contributing his special knowledge of the Pennsylvania canals. The support of Wm. Jerome Crouch, whose editing polished my book on the Erie Canal and whose patience helped to sustain the interest of the University Press of Kentucky in the present volume, has been especially appreciated. David M. Fahey has been a friend in the truest sense of the word and has made timely suggestions to keep this project on track toward completion. At the Ohio Historical Society, Steven C. Gordon provided materials for maps and illustrations.
I wish to acknowledge the assistance of the reference staff at King Library of Miami University, especially of C. Martin Miller, Jenny Presnell, and William Wortman. In the harried time of proofreading and indexing I have had the assistance of William R. Wantland, a doctoral student in history at Miami University.
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