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How Did The Us Build The Panama Canal

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The Panama Canal was originally started back in the 1880s by the French and is considered by some to be the 8th Wonder of the World. Even though Construction started in the 18802 for the canal, the idea for such a canal started long before that time. The need for a canal through Central America started to surface in the 1500s when surveying for a canal to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans began. Trade and travel were very inconvenient at the time before a canal and sparked the craving for a canal to be built. Ships would have to travel all the way around the southern tip of South America to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans before the Panama Canal’s existence. The French were the first to try and build a canal between the …show more content…

The French attempt went bankrupt and they were forced to give up on the desired canal. The United States then sprung to the opportunity to build such a canal. They were able to reach an agreement with the French and signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, officially licensing the United States to build and manage its own canal in Panama. Then, Panama declared its own independence in 1903 and a new treated was need. Panama manifested a new treaty with the United States, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty. The United States constructed the canal from 1904-1914. The construction of the canal finally achieved the desire for such a passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The Panama Canal now established easier international trading and accomplished the original goal of passage for trade and travel. The canal was a success at first, but a need for a wider canal grew soon after its original construction. In 1939 an expansion project took place to widen the canal but was soon destroyed by World War II. Unfortunately, the canal continues to struggle with modern day technology and a need for another project to be

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