The Panama Canal

Key
Words
Canal – A man-made ditch that is filled with water so that ships may pass through. It is used to connect two
larger bodies of water. The Panama Canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Isthmus – A narrow strip of land that connects two larger pieces of land. Panama is an isthmus.
Lock – A container that fills with water that allows boats to rise up and continue traveling on a different level
of water
Revolution – A violent overthrow of a government
Latin America – Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean (where Spanish is spoken)

WHY WE NEEDED A CANAL THROUGH CENTRAL AMERICA

Before the Panama Canal, it was very difficult to travel by ship from the East Coast (New
York) to the West Coast (California). In order to do so, a ship had to travel thousands of miles out of
the way. A ship had to travel all the way down around the tip of South America and then all the way
back North, up to California. This was a very long and dangerous trip. The total distance of this long
trip was more than 12,000 miles. A Canal through Central America (Panama) would cut this distance
by more than half. There were many benefits to building a canal through the Isthmus of Panama. For
instance, cutting this distance in half would greatly help trade both in the United States and abroad.
Also, the American Navy would be able to move war ships between the two oceans (Atlantic and
Pacific) much quicker. The U.S. would also be able to access and protect its new territories much
more efficiently
Answer the following questions
1. How would a canal through Central America affect a ship traveling from New York to
California?

a. It would double the distance needed to travel

b. It would cut the distance needed to travel by more than half
c. The ship would not be able to make such a journey

2. Name some benefits of creating a canal through the Isthmus of Panama

EARLY ATTEMPTS TO BUILD THE CANAL

 France had already tried to build a canal through Panama. The French struggled while
doing this, however. Panama, located in Central America, has many swamps, dense jungles, and
mountains. In order to build a canal, they had to work and dig through all of this. The French also
had to deal with two common tropical diseases, yellow fever and malaria. These diseases killed
thousands of French workers. In 1889, the French had given up on building a canal through
Panama.

THE UNITED STATES BUILDS THE PANAMA CANAL

Panamanian Revolution (1903)

President Theodore Roosevelt later decided that the United States should build the canal
through Panama. Panama, however, belonged to the country of Colombia. So President Roosevelt
tried to work out a deal with Colombia to buy land for the canal. After purchasing the French lease
on the land, Secretary of State John Hay offered Colombia $10 million dollars and an annual rent of
$250,000. Many in Colombia believed that this was not enough money so they refused the deal.
A mad President Roosevelt then encouraged the people of Panama to revolt against
Colombia. When the Panamanians did revolt, the U.S. came to help them. Colombia is then forced
to give Panama its independence. The U.S. now signs a treaty with the independent country of
Panama that gives them the land to build the canal. They also get a 10 mile wide zone around the
canal (The “Canal Zone”).
Answer the following questions
3. What were some of the problems faced by French canal builders in Panama?

4. Colombia is in South America and is part of Latin America. How do you think Latin
America will respond to the way the U.S. got the land to build the canal, why?

U.S. building the canal

Now that they had the land, America began to build the canal. However, the Americans ran
into the same problems that the French did. In fact, during the construction of the canal, 5,600
people died from tropical diseases (yellow fever and malarial). An American Army doctor, William
Gorgas, who had helped eliminate yellow fever in Cuba, was sent to help in Panama. He directed
workers to drain swamps, spray insecticides, spread oil on stagnant pools of water, and cut grassy
marshes in order to destroy mosquito breeding places. This helped to greatly reduce the number of
tropical diseases during construction, which made building the canal a reality.
Despite this, digging the canal was still a very treacherous job. Workers had to dig through
dense jungles and mountains. Millions of feet of dirt was dug up and had to be transported away
to build dams. Large locks had to be constructed to raise and lower ships from sea level over
mountains and then back to sea level again on the other side of the Isthmus. The workers finished
the Panama Canal in 1914. It had taken more than ten years and cost the United States about 380
million dollars to dig the canal. The construction of the Panama Canal was regarded as one of the
great engineering feats of all time.
Answer the following questions
5. How did Army doctor William Gorgas help to eliminate yellow fever and malaria in Panama?
 6. What devices work to raise or lower ships from sea level over mountains and back down again?

a. William Gorgas
b. Isthmuses
c. Locks

THE PANAMA CANAL HELPS MANY COUNTRIES

The Panama Canal was a great wonder. It made it much easier to go from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Countries all across the world could now sail from Europe to Asia
much more easily. It was basically a big shortcut! This shortcut reduced shipping costs and,
therefore, helped to increase trade. The canal also helped the U.S. Navy. The Navy could now
move ships more freely between the Atlantic (East Coast) and Pacific (West Coast) of the United
States. The Panama Canal also guaranteed a strong U.S. presence in Latin America, where the U.S.
had valuable new property to protect. However, many Latin Americans remained bitter over how
the “Canal Zone” was acquired. This helped to sour relations between the U.S. and Latin America
for years

Answer the following questions

7. How did the Panama Canal help to increase trade?

8. It was stated in the reading that, “The Panama Canal also guaranteed a strong U.S. presence in
Latin America, where the U.S. had valuable new property to protect.” What property is being
referred to?

*The readings above are an edited version of, “The Panama Canal,” from The History of the United States: Volume 2 by Robert J. Field

*Information was also taken from The American Journey textbook by Joyce Appleby, Alan Brinkley, & James M. McPherson