Welcome to the American History Podcast, Season 2, Episode 19, Demographic Changes, and the Industrial Revolution.

Welcome to the American History Podcast, hosted by Sean Worswick

All right. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the show.

As always, I thank you for your support, which has been just amazing. Seriously, we're at 200,000 downloads, which to me is absolutely mind-blowing. Please remember to give us a review on iTunes or wherever you listen to us. Those good reviews help other people find the show, and the more listeners we've got, the more fun we have.

So before I get started today, I'm going to play a song for you.

This one is an old one, although not as old as the ones we played in the last episode.

This one was written by Thomas S. Allen in 1905.

It is called the Erie Canal song.

Now, I remember singing the song in music class way back in, oh, maybe fifth grade or so. And that was only, well, anyways, it doesn't

matter how long ago that was, just a few weeks ago. But the song is a wistful look back on the good

old days, and seen as how it was written after

mule power had been replaced by machine power and engine power.

I thought this would be a good song for today's episode.

So anyway, here you go, enjoy, and I'll see you on the other side. I've got an old mule and her name mezell.

Fifteen years on the Erie Canal.

She's a good old worker and a good old pal.

Fifteen years on the Erie Canal.

We've hauled some barges in our day,

filled with lumber, coal and hay,

and every inch of the way I know,

From all beneath the buffalo.

Low bridge, everybody down.

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