The Raging Erie: Life and Labor on the Erie Canal
The Raging Erie: Life and Labor on the Erie Canal
Presented by Mark S. Ferrara
The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 was a monumental achievement. Linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, it transformed New York City into a hub of international trade, drove the rise of industrial cities like Rochester, and accelerated the westward expansion of the United States. Yet few of the laborers who toiled along the canal shared in the prosperity it brought. Join author Mark S. Ferrara as he discusses the stories of the ordinary people who lived, worked, and died along the banks of the canal, emphasizing the forgotten roles of the poor, working class, and immigrant laborers in this epochal transformation.
Mark S. Ferrara is professor of English at the State University of New York at Oneonta. His recent books include American Community: Radical Experiments in Intentional Living (2020) and Living the Food Allergic Life (2023).
Registration for this free program is recommended but not required. This is an in-person program that will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@RochesterPublicLibraryNY/streams.
To request an ASL interpreter for this program, please call the following number at least ten days prior to the event: (585) 428-8304.
Lecture and book-signing presented by the Office of Rochester and Monroe County History, Rochester Institute of Technology Department of History, and RIT Press, in partnership with the Local History & Genealogy Division.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
Open to the Public
Interpreter Requested?
No