A tugboat pushes a barge down the Erie Canal in New York 4
IsWhat Erie the Canal The Erie Canal is a waterway built for boats It was one of the first canals in the United States The canal opened an important path to the West It linked the East Coast to the Great Lakes People could easily travel back and forth 5
The United States did not start out as a large country In the early days most people lived in the East 6
The country needed land to grow bigger Newcomers needed places to live People needed space to farm East Coast cities such as New York were busy and crowded 7
