The Panama Canal- Morris Brown
At the turn of the 19th century, the military, economic and political power of the United States of America was rapidly increasing. While in office, Theodore Roosevelt (term 1. 1901-1909), saw that shipping from coast to coast was costly and time-consuming, in response to this obstacle in American economic growth, A deal would be brokered with Panamanian rebels who sought independence from Colombia to establish a canal.
“A Hundred Years Old Today, the Panama Canal Is About to Get a Lot Bigger.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 30 Apr. 2016, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140815-panama-canal-culebra-cut-lake-gatun-focus/.
Although Roosevelt is Known for ordering the completion of the canal, the original idea to construct a canal through the isthmus of Panama came about in 1881 when a Frenchman named Ferdinand de Lesseps, due to the success of an earlier project of his, the Suez Canal, was able to gather a large amount of both public and private capital and support and soon was able to go through the privately owned Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanique to broker a deal with the Columbian government to allow him to build the Canal. An engineer who studied the Isthmus, Adolphe Godin de Lépinay, baron de Brusly, was adamantly opposed to the idea of building the canal. This did not deter Lesseps. As Lesseps and his crew pushed on with construction it became abundantly clear that due to the varied and treacherous terrain, the machinery they used that was ill-suited to the task and the myriad of tropical diseases that claimed the lives of workers by the thousands, this project was doomed to fail. Soon the French public lost faith in Lesseps pet project and with that loss of support came a severe drop in funding and soon the project and the company ceased to exist. Hardly any of the excavations made by Lessep would be used in Roosevelts Canal.
“20 Photos of the Construction of the Panama Canal.” Pinterest, Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/189432728061707620/.
When the United States set its eyes on the isthmus of Panama as an ideal location for the canal, it would quickly become clear that to make the construction of this canal possible, a deal would have to be struck with the Columbians that controlled the land it was to be built on. Negotiations with the Columbian government did not go to expectation and in response to this, the U.S. would have to take drastic measures to ensure this economic boon would see the light of day. In a move that would become somewhat of a signature of the U.S. Government, we chose to give our support to the growing Panamanian independence movement on the condition that we be allowed to build our canal through their country and soon, with our help, Panama would break away from Columbia and become a nationally recognized nation. In 1903, with the ratification of the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, the U.S. began work on the Panama Canal.
The team in charge of the construction of the canal this time around had taken note of the issues that plagued the French excavation and had taken steps to ensure that nothing like that could happen again, some of these steps included adding quarantine zones for those who already contracted the disease and destroying places where stagnant water could pool. For the pools they could not destroy, oil was spread over the top to stop the larvae from breathing. This was all done in order to try and combat disease-carrying mosquitoes. While many still contracted these deadly diseases, the death toll was significantly lower than the French who came before. On August 15th, 1914 the Canal was opened to the public and the growth of the U.S. the economy would continue to accelerate up until the Great Depression.
Facts:
When? From 1903 – 1914
Where? Panama (previously Columbian territory)
Important Figures? Theodore Roosevelt, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Adolphe Godin de Lépinay, baron de Brusly
Lasting Impact? would spur the U.S. economy and further spread U.S. influence over Central and South America. Is still in use to this day.
CITATION
- Cho, Aileen, et al. “Panama Canal.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Panama-Canal#ref40013.
- “Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics.” Harvard Library, library.harvard.edu/collections/contagion-historical-views-diseases-and-epidemics.