Could the inclusion of Canada in the early US have brought earlier federal support to infrastructure projects or bring success to projects that largely failed IOTL. George Washington had high hopes for the Potomac and was overseeing the construction on a canal up it till he became president that struggled with cost because of going around Great Falls and also struggled with manpower issues. New York issued charters to companies, one to connect the lakes and to improve navigation on the Mohawk river and another to connect the Hudson to Lakes George and Champlain which failed to do anything because of lack of money. The early congress was hesitant to fund road projects for a lot of different reasons and Alexander Hamilton had proposed investing in infrastructure and manufactures from the federal government but unlike his report on credit didn't include an actual plan. What else might have come? An earlier Welland Canal, Trent Severn, National Road, or any other number of canals or roads with an actual national plan to it.
Early infrastructure in a larger America
- Thread starter Achilles
- Start date
SsgtC
Banned
Honestly, I don't think it changes anything. The Federal Government at this time was SMALL. Large public works projects really didn't happen until the FDR's New Deal. (Note, there are a few exceptions to that statement, but they were few and far between.) Adding Canada wouldn't change that.
The Atlantic-Mississippi canal from Georgia to the Mississippi would be fascinating but impractical. Imagine if they actually built it.
No love for Washington's attempted canals in Virginia over the Appalachians?
But there's lots of potential canals/river improvements which would be interesting. For instance, maybe the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway gets built as early as possible? It would definitely be useful for developing Tennessee/Alabama, and offers an alternative to the Mississippi River which could be hazardous to navigation. And if the US can still get the Mississippi River, then improvements to navigation on that river would be highly useful as well. Basically doing what George Washington Eads did decades earlier. West of the Mississippi also has a lot of potential projects, but by the time it gets settled to any real extent we're running right up against the start of the railroad era. I think the best options there would be improving navigation on the Missouri River, building a canal to link the Minnesota River and Red River, and perhaps a canal linking the Upper Mississippi to Lake Superior, that way you'd have an easy route from the Red River/Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes.
As noted by others, the main problem is how to raise the money for the government, which means more taxes, which means the voters need to approve the fact the taxes are going to fund massive internal improvement projects.
But there's lots of potential canals/river improvements which would be interesting. For instance, maybe the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway gets built as early as possible? It would definitely be useful for developing Tennessee/Alabama, and offers an alternative to the Mississippi River which could be hazardous to navigation. And if the US can still get the Mississippi River, then improvements to navigation on that river would be highly useful as well. Basically doing what George Washington Eads did decades earlier. West of the Mississippi also has a lot of potential projects, but by the time it gets settled to any real extent we're running right up against the start of the railroad era. I think the best options there would be improving navigation on the Missouri River, building a canal to link the Minnesota River and Red River, and perhaps a canal linking the Upper Mississippi to Lake Superior, that way you'd have an easy route from the Red River/Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes.
As noted by others, the main problem is how to raise the money for the government, which means more taxes, which means the voters need to approve the fact the taxes are going to fund massive internal improvement projects.
Not really Washington's canal took 17 years to complete was too expensive and seasonal and never reached across to the Ohio River system. The Tenn-Tom would seem to be a good choice but reports always seem to deem it economicaly infeasible and would probably have to happen after they get West Florida from the Spanish. The Mississippi could be connected to the lakes in several places and was starting it this early you might even see the canal built at Duluth to connect Lake Superior to the St Croix River that river leading to the Mississippi. The money for these projects is definitely the problem but maybe if one or two get approved then it kind of snowballs into more support latter after the benifits start to be seen.