We dive into the ambitious vision of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, who pushed for a monumental project: connecting New York City to the Great Lakes through the Erie Canal. This wasn't just any canal; it was a massive undertaking that would stretch for hundreds of miles across diverse terrain, taking years and thousands of workers to complete. Critics called it "Clinton's ditch," but once it was completed in 1825, the 363-mile canal transformed transportation, allowing boats to move goods and people faster and more cheaply than ever before. To celebrate this incredible achievement, Clinton ceremoniously poured water from Lake Erie into the Atlantic, marking the moment as the "wedding of the waters." Join us as we reflect on this pivotal development in American history and its lasting impact.
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Transcripts
Speaker A:
It's American rewind.
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New York Governor DeWitt Clinton had a plan.
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Connect New York City to the inland waterways of the Great Lakes.
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The cost was huge for the time, and the project would take thousands of men years to finish.
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It would stretch hundreds of miles from New York through fields, forests, rock and mud.
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Critics mocked it as Clinton's ditch.
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But in:
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Boats could now carry goods in people faster and cheaper than wagons.
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To celebrate it, Clinton traveled by boat from Buffalo to New York harbor and poured Lake Erie water into the Atlantic.
