William McKinley began work on creating a shortcut through Central America to improve the ability to transport goods to the west coast. He was assassinated and Teddy Roosevelt made the final agreements with Panama, for the canal to be built. It wasn't finished, however, until 1914. President McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt became President since he was Vice President at the time of the assassination. One of Teddy's major tasks as President was to find a quicker and easier route for ships to sail because ships played a major role in the transportation across oceans, especially in war. The Panama Canal is so important, that in 2007 they began working to expand the canal so that larger ships could utilize the shortcut as well. You can read about the newest work being done on the canal here. To see how the canal works, click here!
President Roosevelt's solution was to build a canal through the Isthmus of Panama to make it easier for ships to travel from Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Having an isthmus, a narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas, would allow ships to go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean quicker and easier.
There were several problems in building the Panama Canal
1- Roosevelt had to get control of Panama from the Colombians in South America.
2- Panama had a lot of diseases (ex: Malaria and Yellow Fever) because the country was hot and wet. These diseases were carried by the mosquitos that swarmed the dense rainforest.
3- Mountain, swamps, and mud in Panama made it hard to dig through.
The building of the Panama Canal took many years. It began in 1905 and was finally completed in 1914. However, several important decisions were made during this time to ensure its success.
The Panama Canal was completed in August of 1914 and was 50 miles long. Before the canal was built, it took ships 2 months to deliver goods. Once ships began using the canal, it only took 9 hours!!!
President Roosevelt's solution was to build a canal through the Isthmus of Panama to make it easier for ships to travel from Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Having an isthmus, a narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas, would allow ships to go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean quicker and easier.
There were several problems in building the Panama Canal
1- Roosevelt had to get control of Panama from the Colombians in South America.
2- Panama had a lot of diseases (ex: Malaria and Yellow Fever) because the country was hot and wet. These diseases were carried by the mosquitos that swarmed the dense rainforest.
3- Mountain, swamps, and mud in Panama made it hard to dig through.
The building of the Panama Canal took many years. It began in 1905 and was finally completed in 1914. However, several important decisions were made during this time to ensure its success.
- Roosevelt appointed John Stevens as chief engineer (Click to learn more about a career in Civil Engineering).
- John Stevens:
- eliminated the mosquito problem
- increased the workforce
- paved the streets of Panama's main city
- built new towns, hospitals, schools, etc...
- built railroad tracks - Roosevelt had locks built along the canal to regulate the water flow.
The Panama Canal was completed in August of 1914 and was 50 miles long. Before the canal was built, it took ships 2 months to deliver goods. Once ships began using the canal, it only took 9 hours!!!