Before the Panama Canal was built, getting from one side of America to the other was a huge trouble, both with time and fuel. The idea of a canal through Central America had been lingering from the mid 1800s, with the view that it would benefit the militia, speed up transportation, and also increase global trade. It wasn't until 1881 that Columbia, who at that time owned Panama, gave a french company the rights to build the canal.

We'll let the french build a canal!

These travels take too long...

Panama under Colombian contol

But the French company, lead by Ferdinand De Lesseps, quickly found problems when attempting to make the canal. Not only did the foreign and humid climate contribute to the problem, but the employees started to demand more money than the company were able to offer. This meant that the project was shut down, and the main factor was that they simply couldn't afford to keep going.

It looks like we cannot afford this any longer.. We need to end this project now

This heat is excruciating...

And the pay is too low! We need higher salaries

In 1902, when the former vice president Theodore Roosevelt had became the U.S. President following the assassination of McKinley, the congress passed the Spooner Act. The Spooner Act made it possible for the United States to buy all of the french company's assets and thus continue to build the canal. However, the Colombian government weren't willing to accept the U.S.' terms of agreement. Shortly after the U.S. heard that the rebels in Panama were about to attempt to overthrow the Colombian government and make Panama a free, separate state, the United States offered to help the rebels.

I think we can be of great benefit to each other

We, the Rebels in Panama, want to establish a free state, no longer under Colombian control

So with the support of the United States, Panama soon became an independent country and were willing to sign the Hay-Bunau-varilla Treaty, giving The United States a permanent lease on the land as well as the permission to build the Panama Canal. In exchange, the U.S. had to manage all of the funding and usage of the canal, as well as give Panama protection whenever needed. The construction time of the Canal was a staggering ten years, 1904-1914, and cost the United States more than 375 million dollars.

Over 40,000 people worked on the Canal simultaneously, in the humid climate, with unstable ground, deadly mosquitoes, and frequent tropical rainfall; it was no easy task to complete but they got it done. Thanks to the 40 mile long Panama Canal, as much as 8,000 nautical miles were saved every time a ship went through it to get from one U.S. coast to another. Not only that, but it also allowed an increased U.S. presence in Latin America, with many military troops spread around the area.

The End