The Panama Canal Essay -- History Historical Essays

The Panama Canal In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt had a dream of a dominant America in both major oceans, connected by an American canal. With his inspiration, construction began on what has been called the largest project of any kind ever undertaken. Now that it is complete, the Panama Canal makes the world a much smaller place for ocean-going vessels of all sizes. Ideas for a canal across Panama have been in the works ever since the time the isthmus was discovered. In 1513, Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa crossed the 50-mile wide land bridge and claimed the water on the other side in the name of Spain. Shortly after, in 1534, a team was sent to survey possible canal routes that would follow the Chagres River, but it was deemed to be impossible to build at the time. There were no other notable instances of interest in a canal until 1848, when the California Gold Rush swept the United States. The Panama railroad was completed in 1851, and transported millions of dollars worth of gold and other riches from one sea to the next. In 1952, future president Ulysses S. Grant led the American Fourth Infantry across the isthmus and 150 of his men died of cholera in the jungle, inspiring him to commission surveys in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama during his presidency in 1969. The survey teams, which were supervised by the Secretary of the Navy, decided that a route through Nicaragua would be the best for a transcontinental canal (www.pancanal.com). Three decades later, President McKinley’s U.S. Isthmian Canal Commission would also favor the Nicaraguan route, but for reasons which will be discussed later, the Panamanian route was ultimately chosen. The only physical attribute of Panama t... ... On December 31, 1999 the Panama Canal was handed over to the Republic of Panama, ending United States influence there for almost a century. As it always has been, the canal is to remain neutral, safe, and open to vessels from all nations for as long as it is in operation. Although the circumstances by which the construction of the canal came about were less than diplomatic, the final state of the passageway represents a free and equal ideology for mankind. Bibliography LaFeber, Walter. The Panama Canal. Oxford University Press: New York, 1978. A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama. A WGBH Production In Association With The British Broadcasting Corporation. WGBH Foundation: Boston, 1999. The Panama Canal. http://www.pancanal.com/eng/history/index.html. Panama Canal Authority: 2001. CanalMuseum.com. http://www.canalmuseum.com. Ared Networks: 2002.