This is a story of a failed transportation project that bankrupted the state of Indiana… 200 years ago. We uncover the human suffering this canal system causes and the moral questions it raises. We also discuss questions like: when is it morally permissible to go into debt to fund a big project? When is it OK to tax? This episode was made in partnership with Indiana Humanities. This episode is an officially endorsed Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project.

Follow us on Twitter @ExaminingEthics.

View episode transcript

Show Notes:

• Indiana Humanities
• Indiana’s Bicentennial Celebration

• Jim Madison
• Modupe Labode
• Lee Hamilton
• Mitch Daniels

• Wabash and Erie Canal Park in Delphi, IN
• Mammoth Internal Improvements Act of 1836
• Indiana State Constitution, Article 10, Section 5

• Potawatomi Trail of Death
• Indianapolis Canal
• Bethel AME Church
• There Goes the Neighborhood Podcast

Bonus material:

• Canal Poem Reading by Liza Hyatt
• Reading of Indiana’s Debt Provision
• A Story from Canal Historian Dan McCain

Thanks to Evelyn Brosius for our logo. Music used in this episode (in order of appearance):

1. “Badlands” by Cory Gray
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY-NC 3.0
2.  “Old Strange” by Black Twig Pickers and Steve Gunn
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY-NC 3.0
3.  “Red in Black” by Kosta T
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
4.  “Adventure, Darling” by Gillicuddy
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY-NC 3.0 DE
5.  “Old Loutest (Instrumental)” by Weinland
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY-NC 3.0
6.  “The Tallest Man in Idaho (Instrumental)” by Michael Howard
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY-NC 3.0
7.  “Laid Ten Dollars Down” by Black Twig Pickers
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US
8.  “Muncie, IN” by We Shore is Dedicated
   From the Free Music Archive
   CC BY 4.0

To contact the Prindle Institute, email examiningethics@gmail.com.

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