Brooklyn
DeWitt Clinton, Henry K. Brown, 1853
The importance of New York City as a financial and cultural center is due to Governor De
Witt Clinton. Clinton was responsible for overseeing the construction of the Erie Canal, a
360-mile waterway that stretches from New York City to Lake Erie. The completion of the
project in 1825 allowed New York City to trade with the Midwest.
Check your atlas. Which states and countries border the Great Lakes? These are the areas that also benefited from the Erie Canal. What sculptures are in those states?