The spread of mankind around the globe was made possible by water. In the days before planes, before cars, before railroads, oceans and lakes and rivers were the world's highways.
And control of these highways has spawned wars, and inspired fruitless quests, such as the one for the fabled Northwest Passage.
The history of this country is the history of water. The Hudson River, the Erie Canal, and the Great Lakes were a conduit for goods and settlers. That conduit is why my hometown, New York City, rose as an economic power in the 19th century. The Port of New York is one of the reasons why the city remained one.
We know that this country has a short memory. Apparently, in our collective amnesia, we, forgot that the history of New Orleans is a history of water, too. It was a gateway into this nation for people and goods, and the means by which goods flowed down the Mississippi River from states in the country's far north.
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