To provide a water source for New York City

To create a new route to Canada

To connect the Mississippi River to the Midwest

To connect the Hudson River to Lake Erie

Constructing bridges over the canal

Finding enough water to fill the canal

Building locks to navigate hilly areas

Dealing with frequent floods

Native Americans and Chinese immigrants

African Americans and European immigrants

Local farmers and merchants

Women and children

It was the first canal to use steam-powered boats

It was built entirely by volunteers

It was the longest canal in the world

It was the first man-made waterway of its scale

By creating new farmland

By allowing easy movement of goods and people from the Midwest to the East Coast

By reducing the need for railroads

By providing a new source of drinking water

The Colorado River

The Missouri River

The Mississippi River

The Ohio River

It made New York City the capital of the United States

It led to frequent flooding in the city

It caused a decline in population

It made New York City one of the busiest ports in the world

Philadelphia and Boston

San Francisco and Los Angeles

Chicago and Detroit

Buffalo and Rochester