U.S Territorial Expansion 03.02

Newspaper ArticleU.S Territorial Expansion

Panama NEWSPAPER

The Canal and It's Many Uses

The Panama Canal was a project started by the French in 1881, and because of the failure that they endured while building the canal, the company went bankrupt and the US would agree to take up the construction. After Colombia denied the U.S the right to take it over, the Panamanian people decided to revolt against the Colombians, and the U.S supported them. This caused the Panamanians to win and gain independence. The U.S. then had influence in PanamaIncidents That Led Up To The Building Of The CanalThe U.S had predicted the upcoming conflicts with Spain and were prepared to go to war. They mobilized by sending the USS Oregon from California to Cuba, but this voyage would take more than 60 days and they had to stop at the tip of South America numerous times for coal. By the time they reached their destination war was already declared. From this moment on, the U.S government knew that it was essential to have a canal that could transport supplies faster and connect the oceans.Reason For The Construction Of The CanalDetails Of The ConstructionThe U.S started on the canal in 1904 using the labor force of the West Indies. During construction there was rainfall and temperate climate. The rainfall would cause the Chagres River to flood so they built a dam. They also came across malaria and yellow fever amongst other tropical diseases. Once they eliminated the mosquitoes carrying the diseases, it was safe for workers to continue building the canal. However, more than 5,000 of the workers died of diseases and accidents. All together, they had dug up 260 million tons of land.Results Of The ConstructionThe final project cost the U.S over $375 million, but at least they now had a 40 mile path that cut the travel between the East and West by 8,000 nautical miles. It was open for shipping in August of 1914 and was heavily guarded by the military. Today, however, it is completely controlled...