-
The French
Led by Count Ferdinand de Lesseps,in the early 1800's France had tried to build the panama canal but there efforts failed because of lack of money and workers.They also worked on it for 8 years from 1880-1888.
In 1903 president Roosevelt and congress purchased the rights to this route from the french for $40 million dollars -
Period: to
The purchase of the panama canal
Why we needed it- We needed it to make a shorter route
What was the offer- President Theodore Roosevelt was determined to build that canal, so he offered 10million plus anal rent250,000 -
The purchase of panama canal
why we needed it- we needed it to make a shorter route
What was the offer- President Theodore Roosevelt was determined to build the canal so he offered 10 million plus 250,000 yearly -
Revolt in panama
The hay-herran treaty would have given the us the right to start construction on the canal. However Colombia refused to ratify this treaty and the US came up with a different solution. America forstered the start of the panamanian revolution -
Signing of the treaty
The treaty was was signed with panama,granting the us permanent possession to the panama canal. In exchange of one-time $10 million payment to Panama, and an annual annuity of $250,000 -
Building the canal across panama
Before they started to build the canal they had to get rid of yellow fever which was caused by mosquitoes
So they cleared bushes and drained swamps where mosquitos lived
After some time William C. Gorgas had nearly wiped out yellow fever and reduced malaria in panama -
Theodore Roosevelt and the panama canal
Theodore had built the most famous project in panama.
President Theodore Roosevelt came back to see how the digging of the canal is doing but due to accidents and diseases most of the workers had already died.Once the canal was done and that was in august the 15th 1914.Once it opened more than 1000 ships passed through during the first year of operation.This has saved thousands of ships from going thousands of miles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no9k3Qtwoy8 -
The "big ditch"
Construction of the canal involved 3 major tasks.Workers had to cut through a mountain, dam a river and erect the canal's big rocks.The most challenging job was digging the Gaillard cut,a 9-mile ditch through the mountains thousands of men worked day after day under the tropical sun or the drenching rain storms.By raising and lowering the water level the locks would allow ships to cross Panama's Cordillera Mountains.
(More than 20,000 people lost their lives while building the canal)
