For this discussion you need to read: "A Traveler Describes Life Along the Erie Canal, 1829" and "James Madison Asks Congress to Support Internal Improvements, 1815" in the American Yawp Reader. The

For this discussion you need to read: "A Traveler Describes Life Along the Erie Canal, 1829" and  "James Madison Asks Congress to Support Internal Improvements, 1815" in the  American Yawp Reader. Then in your main post you should analyze the two primary source documents by connecting the description of life along the Erie Canal with James Madison's call for internal improvements. Be sure to discuss how these two documents help you understand how the real the lived experience of historical people during the 1820s related to political policies and technological developments. You will likely want to refer to other topics you have read about in class -- such as the Industrial, Market, and Transportation Revolutions as well as debates over the commercial and agricultural futures of America. Finally, it may be worthwhile to contemplate what other primary sources or information you think would help you better understand this period of U.S. history.

Roughly half of your  Discussion grade (40 points) comes from making an original thread post of at least 300-words. This post should feature your answer to the question(s). It should include at least a thesis statement, and two or three relevant pieces of evidence from the primary source documents to support to support your argument. You should plan to complete this post before the due date so that other can reply to others. You will be unable to respond to other until you make your own original thread post.

The other half of your Discussion grade comes from replying to two of your peers (15 points per reply). These comments should engage your peers by replying to their original posts. In you response-posts, you may include another piece of evidence that you think is more powerful for their point. Or you may introduce a counter-point to their argument. You must reply to at least two peers with a comment of at least 100-words. Good discussion replies involve more than a simply agreeing/disagreeing and instead spur a back-and-forth between the author and the commenter.

You should also cite the documents in your discussion posts (simple in-text citations are fine). I recommend using quotes from the documents as evidecen to help support your point/argument.