Thoughts on the Time Warp 2015
Franklin's World Time Warp Thoughts O n a 2015 +Liz Covart podcast of Ben Franklin’s World , Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site manager Janice Fontanella had been interviewed . During the Time Warp segment, the question was posed of what may have been different if the federal government had financed or actively participated in the construction and operation of the Erie Canal . Hinged on the Bonus Bill , monies that could have assisted United States Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin’s internal improvement plans failed – leaving the financial responsibility in the hands of New York to build the canal from Albany to Lake Erie. W hat made the canal all that much different than the National Road or “Old Pike” project of just a few years prior? The National Road Bill passed in 1806, was re-contracted in 1811 and completed in 1818, connecting the new state of Ohi...
