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Panama Canal

            History of the Panama Canal dates back to the sixteenth century. It was first suggested to Charles V of Spain to cut Panama in half and make a safer, shorter trip for people delivering gold and other treasures from Peru and Ecuador to Spain. The first plan ever developed was in 1529 but due to wars in Europe and in the Mediterranean Sea, plans were put permanently on hold. The nineteenth century brought about an ideal for a canal again. A man by the name of Alexander von Humboldt, a German scientist, wrote books that interested the Spanish to build the Panama Canal. The California Gold Rush helped to stimulate the project. Surveys were taken from 1850-1875 to find the most suitable place to build a canal; the two possible routes were either across Panama or Nicaragua. An International Company was organized and began digging the project in 1876. The International Company failed. Then again in 1880 the French decided to try and finish the project. Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps, also responsible for constructing the Suez Canal in Egypt, organized a team together to construct the massive canal. Ferdinand was not an engineer, but he felt he was capable of making this dream a reality. First he organized an International Congress and worked closely with them to construct the waterway around the world. Ferdinand was the first man to actually make progress with the project. Work value completed by the French was twenty-five million dollars. And just like the previous attempts the French failed. Ferdinand gave up the project for various reasons. First, landslides became a major problem. The French did not have heavy enough equipment to move the landslides. Boulders became another problem. Boulders made most of the work ended up being handwork. Men wanted to return home to their families with the savings they had collected. Mosquitoes were another reason for the abandonment they were carrying diseases, making people sick.


Essays Related to Panama Canal

1. The Panama Canal

When Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901, he was determined to build a canal through Panama. ... The United States also received the right to govern an area of land called the Panama Canal Zone on both sides of the canal. For many years, Panama tried to gain control of the canal and the zone. ... There were two reasons why the Panama Canal was wanted. ... There were 3 problems experienced during the receiving of the Panama Canal. ...

  • Word Count: 410
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Panama canal

Panama Canal The Panama Canal is one of the most spectacular and illuminating structures made by humans. ... He wanted to be known as the one who helped form the Panama Canal. ... We may not even have the Panama Canal today if it wasn't for Roosevelt. ... After the canal was built through Panama, there have been discussions of three other canals that could be built. ... Even if they did make three other canals, the Panama Canal would still be the best site to see. ...

  • Word Count: 1023
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

3. the panama canal

The Panama Canal American Foreign Policy November 30, 1994 In 1825, a group of American businesspeople announced the formation of a canal building company, with interests in constructing a canal system across the Isthmus. ... In his work he states five questions that address the significance of the Panama Canal to United States. ... The Panama Canal and the Canal Zone (the immediate area surrounding the Canal) are important areas used for trade. ... These two facets make the Panama Canal very important in the region. ... Thirdly, why have the Panamanians insisted on assum...

  • Word Count: 1020
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. PANAMA CANAL

The Panama Canal was started by the French and finished by the U.S. to create a passageway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. ... The French had already started production on a canal in Panama. ... It was then that Roosevelt decided Isthmus, Panama would be the location for their canal. ... Panama granted the U.S. with the "canal zone;" this zone being 10 miles wide, 6 miles wider than agreed upon with the Colombians, in return for $10 million and $250,000 annual fee for the presence of the canal and rental of the land. ... The rights acquired by the U.S. to construct the Panama Canal...

  • Word Count: 852
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Panama Canal ( a canal of death )

To understand France's failure in the building of the canal you must understand the physical geography of what is now the country of Panama in South America. ... The French simply underestimated the work, money, and hardships that would be involved in engineering and building a canal of this magnitude in Panama Actual work on the canal began in 1882. ... In 1894 a new company, the Compagnie Nouvelle du Canal de Panama, was created in France to attempt to finish the canal. ... In 1902 the debate was between whether or not to construct a new canal through Nicaragua or purchase the land ...

  • Word Count: 1789
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

6. US imperialism and the panama canal

At noon, December 31, 1999, the United States voluntarily gave up the Panama Canal, ending 85 years of control. Prior to the development of the atomic bomb and the landing of astronauts on the moon, the Panama Canal was perhaps this country's signal engineering achievement. ... During World War II, the United States stationed 65,000 troops in Panama to protect the canal. ... In 1879, the French, fresh from their success in building the Suez Canal, started building a canal. ... The Isthmus of Panama was located in Colombia, which had rejected a U.S. proposal to build a canal. ...

  • Word Count: 2823
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: High School

7. The Panama Canal

Prior to an American presence in Panama, the French had been the primary entrepreneurs of a canal across Panama. ... The Panamanian jungles made progress extremely slow. ... The most tragic and shocking problems on the canal were the newly encountered disease epidemics in the jungles of Panama. ... A leader of the French canal operation in Panama years before, Philippe Jean Bunau-Varilla, had been looking to regain some assets lost when the project went bankrupt. ... Newly independent Panama gladly accepted the $10 million offer, and the ropes were cut to begin construction of the canal. ...

  • Word Count: 1930
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

8. The panama canal

The Panama Canal has been well known since the 16th century. It was suggested to Charles V to make the Panama Canal, a cut piece of land somewhere in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean . ... After the construction of the Panama Canal, de Lesseps was appointed chairman. ... The Panama Canal has around 51 miles of length. ... The Panama Canal was constructed in two phases. ...

  • Word Count: 2868
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Republic of Panama

The Republic of Panama A Spanish explorer named Rodrigo de Bastidas discovered Panama in 1501. ... Later on around 1907, the construction of the Panama Canal took place. It was being controlled by the United States. 7 years later the canal was finished. Until 1999 the canal was to remain in the United States hands, but when a treaty was signed, Panama assumed control of canal operations if they would guarantee its neutrality. ... Panama is well known for the Panama Canal. ...

  • Word Count: 464
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

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