It is said that George Washington was one of the first to realize how important tire building of canals would be to the nation’s development. In fact, before he became the President, he headed the first company in the United States to build a canal, which was to connect the Ohio and Potomac rivers. It was never completed, but it showed the nation the feasibility of canals. As the country expanded westward, settlers in western New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio needed a means to ship goods. Canals linking natural waterways seemed to supply an effective method.

In 1791, engineers commissioned by the state of New York investigated the possibility of a canal between Albany on the Hudson River and Buffalo on Lake Eric to link the Great Lakes area with the Atlantic seacoast. It would avoid the mountains that served as a barrier to canals from the Delaware and Potomac rivers.

The first attempt to dig the canal, to be called the Eric Canal, was made by private companies but only a comparatively small portion was built before the project was halted for lack of funds. The cost of the prospect was estimated $5 million, an enormous amount for those days. There was some on-again-off-again federal funding, but this time the War of 1812 put an end to construction. In 1817, DeWitt Clinton was elected Governor of New York and persuaded the state to finance and build the canal. It was completed in 1825, costing S2 million more than expected.

The canal rapidly lived up to its sponsors’ faith, quickly paying for itself through tolls. It was far more economical than any other form of transportation at the time. It permitted trade between the Great Lake region and the East coast, robbing the Mississippi River of much of its traffic. It allowed New York to supplant Boston, Philadelphia, and other eastern cities as the chief center of both domestic and foreign commerce. Cities sprang up along the canal. It also contributed in a number of ways to the Norths victory over the South in the Civil War.

An expansion of the canal was planned in 1849. Increased traffic would undoubtedly have warranted its construction had it not been for the railroads.

What can be inferred about railroads in 1849 from the information in the last paragraph?

Câu hỏi liên quan

• The word “elite” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to___________.

• The purpose of the passage is to __________.

• According to paragraph 1, the author of the passage argues that ................

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• Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?

• Which of the following is mentioned as the main cause of the destruction of Mantle’s body?

• Today, compared with 1910 ..............

• The word “forces” in line 9 could best be replaced by:

• Why are there white rings on each end of the football?

• All the following are mentioned as possible factors in drawing insects to weakened trees EXCEPT .............

• According to the passage, approximately how many non-native users of English are there in the world today?

• The word “basis” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ............

• The word “eliminate” in paragraph 5 could be best replaced by which of the following words?

• Why does the author mention “the gold and silver rushes of the 1850's and 1860's” in the first paragraph?

• What happened to the writer’s grandfathers?

• In the paragraph 2, the word “accomplishments” can be best replaced by ..............

• It can be inferred from the passage that social workers, employers, and politicians concern themselves with the study of learning because they need to ______.

• Why do people say women produce more than half of the food in Africa?

• What do the Hindu people think about marriage?

• In the paragraph following the passage most probably discusses  ..............

• In the author’s judgment, ...............