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What is the Canal?The Panama Canal was built between 1903 and 1914. The Canal was built with the American and British leaders goal of creating quick and cheap shipping from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Theodore Roosevelt, the president at the time, saw the realization of this long term goal and put this idea into effect in 1903.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/panama-canal |
Earliest Idea for the Canal...The Earliest idea for the Panama Canal goes back in the 16th century. In 1513, a spanish explorer named Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first European to discover the the Isthmus of Panama was only a slim bridge that separated the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This initial discovery inspired the idea of a natural waterway that linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The first step of action was in 1534 when Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, decided to present a survey to determine if a canal could be built. The surveyors responded saying that the construction of a canal was almost impossible.
Throughout the following centuries, nations thought about creating a Panama Canal but no serious process was made. Former Diplomat of the Suez Canal, Ferdinand de Lesseps, began building a canal across Panama similar to the Suez Canal in that it was sea level without rocks. Along with this, Gustave Eiffel was hired by the company to come in and create locks for the canal. This project was much harder than Ferdinand anticipated and the De Lesseps-led Company went bankrupt in 1889. This venture's collapse caused a major issue throughout France. Overall, this project ended with De Lesseps and his son Charles and Eiffel being convicted of Fraud and mismanagement charges. Meanwhile throughout the 1800's, the United States initially wanted to build the canal in Nicaragua instead of Panama. The United States believed this was a more attainable choice for economic and military reasons. However, in the late 1890's French engineer Philippe- Jean Bunau Varilla , who had been invoked in France's Canal projects, lobbied for American lawmakers to buy French canal assets in Panama. He finally convinced them that Panama was the more fitting location due to the dangerous volcanoes in Nicaragua. Finally, in 1902 United States conger authorized the purchase of French assets. At the time Panama was still a part of Columbia therefore when Columbia refused to ratify an agreement saying the United Staes could build the canal the Panamanians revoked against Columbia and declared independence. This lead to United States Secretary of State John Jay and Bunau-Varilla to act as representatives of the Panamanian Provisional Government. These two men negotiated the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which gave America the right to a zone more than 500 square miles to begin building the Canal. This period of dedication and hard work lead the the overall goal of the creation of the Panama Canal in the early 1900's. http://www.history.com/news/7-fascinating-facts-about-the-panama-canal |
History of the Panama Canal | Basic Information |