Document-Based Questions

Before the Barge Canal expansion, the Erie Canal locks were small and usually constructed from cut stone. To construct the Barge Canal, New York State used concrete to build much larger locks that enabled boats with 100 times more cargo to pass through them.

Each document set in this website is designed to help students answer an essay question relating to a specific time in Erie Canal history.

The following activities and questions are designed to help students think about the evidence they see in the documents and relate it to the information in the accompanying descriptions.

Ultimately students will have enough knowledge to write a coherent, well-documented, well-organized essay about each document set.

1825 DBQs | 1830s DBQs | 1918 DBQs

All of the Document-Based Questions can be printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free download).