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Chronological Reasoning and Causation

Celebrating the Erie Canal

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About this Activity

  1. Load Erie Canal Commemorative Plate, 1825 in Main Image Viewer
  2. Load Engraving of a Durham Boat and a Bateau on the Mohawk River, 1810 in Main Image Viewer
  3. Load Map of the Canals of New York, 1922 in Main Image Viewer
  4. Load Detail of Erie Canal Celebration Broadside, Geneva, NY, 1825 in Main Image Viewer
  5. Load Detail of Erie Canal Celebration Broadside, Geneva, NY, 1825 in Main Image Viewer
  6. Load Watercolor of an Erie Canal Aqueduct Crossing the Genesee River, Rochester, NY, n.d. in Main Image Viewer
  7. Load Watercolor of an Erie Canal Aqueduct Crossing the Genesee River, Rochester, NY, n.d. in Main Image Viewer

Suggested Teaching Instructions

Directions
The Erie Canal was opened to boat traffic in 1825. It created a shorter and safer waterway between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. After looking at the documents and answering questions, students will be able to explain why and how New Yorkers celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal.
 
Task Description
Write a well-organized essay using the documents, the answers to the questions in Part A, and your own knowledge of the subject. The building of the Erie Canal was a major accomplishment for New York State. Explain how and why New Yorkers celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal.
 
Key Concepts
 
  1. The Erie Canal, opened in 1825, created a water transportation route that connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean.
  2. New Yorkers celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal.
  3. The building of the Erie Canal was a major accomplishment for New York State.
  4. The information in historical documents can be used to help us learn about the past.
 
Vocabulary
ball - A formal gathering with dancing (a party)
bateau - French word for boat 
broadside - poster
canal - a man-made waterway
cannonade - a chain of cannon shot
engraving - a print made from a block of wood or metal that has been carved or etched
historical document - recorded information from the past
illuminate - to brighten with light
 
Document-Based Questions
Erie Canal Celebration
 
The Erie Canal was opened to boat traffic in 1825. It created a shorter and safer waterway between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. After looking at the documents and answering questions, students will be able to explain why and how New Yorkers celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal.
 
Part A. Examine the following documents and answer each of the questions that follow them.
 
Part B. Essay: Write a well-organized essay using the documents, the answers to the questions in Part A, and your own knowledge of the subject.
 
The building of the Erie Canal was a major accomplishment for New York State. Explain how and why New Yorkers celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal.
 
In your essay, remember to:
 
  • Tell how New Yorkers celebrated the opening of the Erie Canal.
  • Tell why New Yorkers were celebrating the opening of the Erie Canal.
  • Include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
  • Use information from the documents.
  • Include details, examples, or reasons when developing your ideas.
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