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Source of Inscription: Because pottery using this
design was produced by an unknown manufacturer, or a series
of manufacturers, and because the design does not include
an image of a specific location along the canal, the source
of the inscription is not known.
Border: Large medallions of canal boats and canal
scenes.
Some Variations in Size and Type:
Pitchers: 5.25, 6.5, and 7 inches; (Reverse, Utica Inscription, 1824) (The
American Coat of Arms is
printed under the spout of the pitchers, with two generic scenes of the canal above and below the design.)
Plates: 3.75, 5.75, 8.5, and 10.25 inches (Dark and medium blue).
Description: In the center ceramic piece is the
Grand Erie Canal inscription honoring Governor DeWitt
Clinton for his invaluable assistance in the construction
of the Erie Canal. The inscription on this plate
(MC 321, Acc. No. 37.454.97) reads "THE GRAND ERIE CANAL. A
SPLENDID MONUMENT TO THE ENTERPRISE & RESOURCES OF THE
STATE OF NEW YORK. INDEBTED FOR IT'S EARLY COMMENCEMENT &
RAPID COMPLETION TO THE ACTIVE ENERGIES PREEMINENT TALENTS
& ENLIGHTENED POLICY OF DEWITT CLINTON, GOVERNOR OF THE
STATE." Larsen indicates that there are two
variations of this inscription seen on transfer print
wares. One as shown above and a second that ends "...
DEWITT CLINTON, LATE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE." following
Clinton's death in 1828.
Historical Background: DeWitt Clinton was born on 2
March 1769 in Little Britain, New York in what was then a
part of Ulster County but is now included within the
boundaries of Orange County. He earned his Bachelor of Arts
degree from Columbia College in 1786. He was admitted to
the New York State Bar in 1789 and was initiated into his
political life soon thereafter. From 1790 -1795, Clinton
worked as secretary to his uncle, then Governor George
Clinton, of New York. He was a member of the New York State
Assembly in 1797, and was elected to the State Senate as a
Democratic-Republican from 1798 - 1802. He was appointed to
the U. S. Senate in 1802 to fill a vacancy but decided to
resign that office in 1803, to become Mayor of New York
City. He would hold the office of Mayor from 1803 - 1807,
from 1809 - 1810, and from 1811 - 1815. His years spent
serving as Mayor of New York are often considered to be the
era of his greatest political achievements. In 1808, he
served as a State Senator and in 1810, he served as
Lieutenant Governor of New York. He became the leader of
the Republican Party in New York about 1803.
Clinton was a political power in New York State in the
early years of the nineteenth century, usually in support
of Thomas Jefferson and his policies. In 1810, DeWitt
Clinton became State Canal Commissioner and in 1811,
unsuccessfully attempted to obtain federal aid for
construction of the Erie Canal. He was a Federalist
candidate for presidency in 1812, supported by the
Democratic-Republican opponents of the War of 1812 and by
the dying Federalist Party. Clinton was defeated by James
Madison in the election.
Clinton believed strongly that construction of the Erie
Canal was crucial to the advancement of his state and he
began to work vigorously to generate popular support for
the undertaking as a state enterprise. Fighting for
recognition for New York City to be perceived as advanced
and cosmopolitan as Boston and Philadelphia, Clinton threw
all his political weight behind the canal project,
beginning a Canal Fund and enlisting the support of former
rival Martin Van Buren in the state senate. He used the
rhetoric of nationalism and republicanism in a popularly
supported memorandum to the legislature demanding that a
canal be built. Momentum for the project increased during
the early 1810s; surveys continued, engineers were trained
in England and Holland, and the federal government was
expected to finance the canal, at least in part. In 1816,
construction plans for the canal were stalled when the
Bonus Bill, the key to national funding, was vetoed by
President James Madison. Clinton, although he did not have
adequate state funding at the time, decided to go ahead
with his plans; as he was running for state governor at the
time, he could not forestall the canal any further.
Fortunately, the veto of the Bonus Bill strengthened the
state's sense of resolution and independence. The plan was
finally adopted by the state legislature in 1816 and a new
canal commission, of which Clinton was a member, was
appointed.
Although he had lost favor with his own party in New York
City, he was elected Governor of New York in 1817. In 1817,
Clinton convinced the State legislature to authorize $7
million for construction of a canal 363 miles long, 40 feet
wide and four feet deep. As Governor, DeWitt Clinton
presided over the formal ground breaking ceremonies at
Rome, New York on July 4, 1817. Clinton was reelected as
governor in 1820. He declined to be a candidate in 1822 but
was again elected Governor in 1824 and was in office in
1825 when the Erie Canal, which he had done so much to
further, was completed. He presided at the equally
impressive ceremonies which opened the canal to commerce on
26 October 1825 as he sailed the packet boat Seneca Chief
along the Canal from Buffalo to Albany. Elected Governor
again, he died in office in Albany, New York 11 February
1828. His work on the creation of the Erie Canal was
Clinton's greatest personal and best remembered
achievement.
The Erie Canal proved to be the key that unlocked an
enormous series of social and economic changes in the young
nation. The Canal spurred the first great westward movement
of American settlers, gave access to the rich land and
resources west of the Appalachians and made New York the
preeminent commercial city in the United States. For the
dissemination of people, ideas, goods and American
nationalism, as well as a model for most subsequent canals,
the Erie Canal stands alone in the first half of the
nineteenth century.
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