Question: who claimed the hudson river and new york

title: Hudson River
text: At the beginning of the 19th century , transportation from the US east coast into the mainland was difficult . Ships were the fastest vehicles at the time , as trains and automobiles were still being developed . In order to facilitate shipping throughout the country 's interior , numerous canals were constructed between internal bodies of water in the 1800s . One of the most significant canals of this era was the Erie Canal , built to link the Midwest to the Port of New York , a significant seaport during that time . The completion of the canal enhanced the development of the American West , allowing settlers to travel west , send goods to markets in frontier cities , and export goods via the Hudson River and New York City . The completion of the canal made New York City one of the most vital ports in the nation , surpassing the Port of Philadelphia and ports in Massachusetts . After the completion of the Erie Canal , smaller canals were built to connect it with the new system . The Champlain Canal was built to connect the Hudson River near Troy to the southern end of Lake Champlain . This canal allowed boaters to travel from the St. Lawrence Seaway , and then British cities such as Montreal to the Hudson River and New York City . Another major canal was the Oswego Canal , which connected the Erie Canal to Oswego and Lake Ontario , and could be used to bypass Niagara Falls . The Cayuga - Seneca Canal connected the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake . Farther south , the Delaware and Hudson Canal was built between the Delaware River at Honesdale , Pennsylvania , and the Hudson River at Kingston , New York . This canal enabled the transportation of coal , and later other goods as well , between the Delaware and Hudson River watersheds . The combination of these canals made the Hudson River one of the most vital waterways for trade in the nation .