Lesson 4: Westward Movement

Question 1

Clermont Definition

Answer 1

The Clermont was the first steamboat introduced on the Hudson River in 1807 by Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston. On its first run, the Clermont carried passengers from New York City to Albany and back.

Question 2

Corduroy Roads Definition

Answer 2

Corduroy roads were roads made of logs.

Question 3

Erie Canal Definition

Answer 3

The Erie canal was an artificial waterway that would let western farmers ship their goods to the port of New York.

Question 4

Flatboats Definition

Answer 4

A flatboat is a rectangular, flat-bottomed boat with square ends used to transport freight and passengers on inland waterways. The flatboat could be any size, but essentially it is a large, sturdy tub with a hull that displaces water so that it floats in the water.

Question 5

Lancaster Turnpike Definition

Answer 5

It was first used in 1795 and is the first long-distance, paved road built in the United States.

Question 6

National Road Definition

Answer 6

The National Road was the first major-improved highway in the United States built by the federal government.

Question 7

Turnpike Definition

Answer 7

A turnpike is a high-speed highway maintained by tolls.

Question 8

How did settlers in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania reach the West through New York?

Answer 8

Settlers took a number of routes west. People from important regions and places like New England, New York, and Pennsylvania pushed into a region northwest of the Ohio River called the Northwest Territory. Some traveled west from Albany, New York, along the Mohawk River, through the Appalachians, and then west along the plains south of Lake Ontario. Many then sailed across Lake Erie into Ohio.

Question 9

How did Settlers get to the West through the Great Valley Road?

Answer 9

Another well-traveled path was the Great Valley Road that ran southward from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, through Maryland and western Virginia. Some settlers would then continue south and west along the trail opened by Daniel Boone before the Revolution. Known as the Wilderness Road, it led through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky.

Question 10

How did Settlers travel West using flatboats?

Answer 10

Other settlers pushed west across the Appalachians to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There, they loaded their animals and wagons onto flatboats, or flat-bottomed boats, and journeyed down the Ohio River into Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Flatboats were well suited to the shallow waters of the Ohio, which became known as the “Gateway to the West.” Even when carrying heavy cargoes, these barges rode high in the water.

Question 11

How did pioneers from South Carolina and Georgia move West?

Answer 11

Pioneers from Georgia and South Carolina followed other trails west to Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Enslaved African Americans were forced to move with settlers or sold to new owners in these territories. There, enslaved workers cleared fields and built plantations in the rich, fertile soil.

Question 12

Due to westward movement, which states were eligible for statehood?

Answer 12

Before long, some western territories had populations large enough to apply for statehood. Between 1792 and 1819, eight states joined the Union: Kentucky (1792), Tennessee (1796), Ohio (1803), Louisiana (1812), Indiana (1816), Mississippi (1817), Illinois (1818), and Alabama (1819).

Question 13

How did bad roads influence settlers’ journeys West?

Answer 13

Settlers faced difficult journeys as they traveled to the West. Many roads were narrow dirt trails, barely wide enough for a single wagon. Trails often plunged through muddy swamps. Tree stumps stuck up in the road and often broke the wagon axles of careless travelers. The nation badly needed better roads.

Question 14

Why did companies that made roads toll users? What was the turnpike road? How did it get its name?

Answer 14

In the United States, as in Europe, private companies built gravel and stone roads. To pay for these roads, the companies collected tolls from travelers. At various points along the road, a pike, or pole, blocked the road. After a wagon driver had paid a toll, the pike keeper turned the pole aside to let the wagon pass. As a result, these toll roads were called turnpikes.

Question 15

What was the Lancaster Turnpike?

Answer 15

Probably the best road in the United States was the Lancaster Turnpike. Built in the 1790s by a private company, the road linked Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Because the road was set on a bed of gravel, water drained off quickly. For a smooth ride, the road was topped with flat stones.

Question 16

What were Corduroy Roads? Where were they used?

Answer 16

Other roads were more primitive. In swampy areas, roads were made of logs. These roads were known as corduroy roads because the lines of logs looked like corduroy cloth. Corduroy roads kept wagons from sinking into the mud, but they made for a very noisy and bumpy ride.

Question 17

What was the National Road?

Answer 17

Some states set aside money to improve roads or build new ones. Meanwhile, in 1806, Congress approved funds for the first national road-building project. The National Road was to run from Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling, on the Ohio River in western Virginia.
Work on the National Road began in 1811. Because of the War of 1812, it was not completed until 1818. Later, the road was extended into Illinois. As each new section of road was built, settlers eagerly used it to drive their wagons farther and farther west.

Question 18

Where did many pike keepers sleep?

Answer 18

Many pike keepers lived by the gate they tended and could be awakened in the middle of the night by travelers seeking to pay the toll and pass through.

Question 19

What were problems with boats during the Westward movement?

Answer 19

Whenever possible, travelers and freight haulers used river transportation. Floating downstream on a flatboat was both faster and more comfortable than bumping along rutted roads. It also cost a lot less. Yet, river travel had its own problems. Moving upstream was difficult. People used paddles or long poles to push boats against the current. Sometimes, they hauled boats along the shore with ropes. Both methods were extremely slow. A boat could travel downstream from Pittsburgh to New Orleans in about six weeks. However, the return trip upstream took at least 17 weeks.

Question 20

What was the process of developing and establishing steamboat transportation? What was the Clermont?

Answer 20

Americans worked hard to develop new kinds of boats that would make river travel faster and cheaper. A new invention, the steam engine, started a new era in river travel. In 1787, John Fitch showed members of the Constitutional Convention how a steam engine could power a boat. He then opened a ferry service on the Delaware River. However, few people used the ferry, and Fitch eventually went out of business. Inventor Robert Fulton may have seen Fitch’s steamboat while in Philadelphia. In 1807, Fulton launched his own steamboat, the Clermont, on the Hudson River. On its first run, the Clermont carried passengers from New York City to Albany and back. The 300-mile trip took just 62 hours—a record at the time.

Question 21

What was Robert Fulton’s influence? What was the Influence of Steamboats?

Answer 21

Fulton’s success ushered in the age of steamboats. Soon, steamboats were ferrying passengers up and down the Atlantic coast. More important, steamboats revolutionized travel in the West. Besides carrying people, river steamboats gave farmers and merchants a cheap means of moving goods.

Question 22

When did steamboats become more powerful?

Answer 22

Steamboats became more powerful when their engines were used to turn paddle wheels. These wheels allowed larger boats to be built that could carry more passengers and cargo.

Question 23

Why did Henry Shreve develop the flat boat?

Answer 23

Because western rivers were too shallow for larger boats, Henry Shreve designed a flat-bottomed steamboat. It could carry heavy loads without getting stuck on sandbars.

Question 24

What were the dangers of steamboat travel?

Answer 24

Still, steamboat travel could be dangerous. Sparks from smokestacks could cause fires. High-pressure boilers sometimes exploded as steamboat captains raced each other in an effort to get to their destination first. Between 1811 and 1851, 44 steamboats collided, 166 burned, and more than 200 exploded.

Question 25

Why was the need for canals so strong?

Answer 25

Steamboats and better roads brought many improvements to transportation. But they did not help western farmers get their goods directly to markets in the East. To meet this need, Americans needed to modify the physical environment in a whole new way: they dug canals. A canal is an artificial channel filled with water that allows boats to cross a stretch of land.

Question 26

Remember: The earliest American canals were no more than a few miles long. Some canals provided routes around waterfalls on a river. Others linked rivers to nearby lakes. By the early 1800s, however, Americans were building longer canals.

Answer 26

The earliest American canals were no more than a few miles long. Some canals provided routes around waterfalls on a river. Others linked rivers to nearby lakes. By the early 1800s, however, Americans were building longer canals.

Question 27

In 1805, why did New Yorkers want to develop the Erie Canal?

Answer 27

In 1805, some New Yorkers developed a bold idea. They wanted to build a canal linking the Great Lakes to the Mohawk and Hudson rivers. Later known as the Erie Canal, this artificial waterway would let western farmers ship their goods to the port of New York. It would also bring business to towns along the route.

Question 28

How did Thomas Jefferson react to the idea of the Erie Canal? How did DeWitt Clinton react?

Answer 28

To many people, the idea of such a canal seemed far-fetched. When Thomas Jefferson heard of the plan, he exclaimed:

Why, sir, you talk of making a canal 350 miles through the wilderness—it is little short of madness to think of it at this day!

—Thomas Jefferson to Joshua Forman of New York, 1809

New York’s governor DeWitt Clinton ignored such criticism. He persuaded state lawmakers to provide money for the Erie Canal. Critics referred to the project as “Clinton’s Ditch.”

Question 29

What were the tools available to build the Erie Canal?

Answer 29

Work on the Erie Canal began in 1817. At first, thousands of workers dug the waterway using hand tools. To speed up progress, inventors developed new equipment. One machine, a stump-puller, could pull out nearly 40 tree stumps a day. In two places, the canal had to cross over rivers. Workers built stone bridges to carry the canal over the rivers.

Question 30

What was the influence of the Erie Canal?

Answer 30

By 1825, the immense job was finished. On opening day of the Erie Canal, a cannon fired in Buffalo, New York. When the sound got to the next town along the route, that town fired a cannon. Town after town fired cannons, all the way to New York City. The thunderous salute took 80 minutes to complete. The Erie Canal was an instant success. The cost of shipping goods dropped to about one tenth of what it had been before the canal was built. The canal also helped make New York City a center of commerce. The success of the Erie Canal led other states to build canals. These canals created vital links between western farms and eastern cities, advancing the economic development of the United States. These links encouraged more growth, as people moved to the new cities in search of work.