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Brief History of the Mid-1800's


            All over the world the modern era is being born that leads to the industrial revolution. In upstate New York, a man made river is cutting through the wilderness. The Erie Canal is born, which is the biggest construction project in the western world in the last 4,000 years. It is over 300 miles long, dug entirely by hand, without a single qualified engineer. But, the people of United States of America is not about to let nature stand in the way. Consequently, the land doesn't always cooperate.
             A wall of solid limestone 60 feet high, just 30 miles from the finish line is, Lake Erie. This canal would link the Atlantic Ocean to the middle of America. As a result, this canal turned the North into a global economic power house. The man who built this canal was, a New York's gung ho governor DeWitt Clinton. Born into wealth he won't take no for an answer. Clinton wanted to be president, but instead he runs New York for 20 years. Clinton had a vision to make New York rich. But, politically the canal is a huge gamble. It was savaged in the press as dangerous and too expensive. On the other hand, it was called Clinton's big ditch, but it will change New York forever.
             It takes 50,000 men, 11 million cubic yards of rock to make this ditch. The Crews to help with the ditch were filled with Irish immigrants. These men were making five times more then what they can make at home. But, it was a hazardous job. They were literally moving mountains. As a result, eight years of digging, over 1,000 lives lost, the cost over one hundred million dollars, the Erie Canal opens in 1825.
             Hundreds of miles to the south there were something else brewing, a small plant creating another economic boom called cotton. Cotton will soon become a million dollar business that will tear the nation apart. Cotton is native to tropical regions, making the southern states of the U.S a perfect breeding ground. By 1830 America was producing half the world's cotton.


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