HISTORY

• the idea of building a canal across the isthmus of Central America can be dated back to 1524, when Charles V of the HRE suggested building a canal to make trade easier between Spain and Peru.
• In 1698 Scotland attempted to create an overland trade route through the area called the Darien Scheme but abandoned the idea due to inhospitable conditions only two years later.

FIRST ATTEMPTS

• The Panama Railway became a success in 1855 and created the basis for the future water route.
• Even with the railway in place, the all water route seemed ideal so in 1880, the French began to attempt construction of a canal. Unfortunately, the French did not have enough background knowledge about the geology and hydrology of the region as well as knowledge of the conditions that the workers would face. Diseases such as yellow fever and malaria wiped out large numbers of workers, and hospitals were insufficient as they lacked the protection from mosquitoes, which were the cause of the diseases, though this was unknown at the time. Fearful employees quickly returned to France and in 1893, the French abandoned the idea of a sea level canal with as many as 22,000 worker deaths during the unsuccessful project.

GIVING THE PROJECT TO THE U.S.

*The Spanish-American war had revived interest in the idea of building a canal across the Central American isthmus. The canal would allow easier defense of newly acquired territories such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Philippines and it greatly strengthen the Navy by increasing its mobility.

• In 1898 the chief French Canal Syndicate hired William Nelson Cromwell to lobby the US congress to build a canal across the isthmus of Panama.
• The United States had formerly planned to build a canal across Nicaragua but after Cromwell produced a stamp showing the eruption of Momotambo, a volcano in Nicaragua and publishing a story about it in the New York Sun, as well as sending pamphlets to the US congress, they voted for the Panama route.
• The United States purchased the French Equipment and excavations and began construction of the Panama Canal on May 4,1904, after helping Panama gain independence from Colombia. For the United States's assistance, Panama granted them control of the Panama Canal Zone.

CONSTRUCTION

• Chief Engineer John Frank Stevens allowed the construction of the Panama Canal... He rebuilt the Panama Railway and created a system to help dispose soil by rail. He also improved the once lethal working conditions by providing proper housing and overseeing extensive sanitation and mosquito control.
• Once diseases such as yellow fever and malaria had been controlled America began construction. They eventually replaced French Equipment with more efficient and new equipment. The advances in the health situation helped to keep a relatively low death toll in which only about 5,609 died bringing the total to about 27,500.
• In 1907 George Washington Goethals was appointed Chief engineer of the project by Theodore Roosevelt and the canal was formally opened August 15, 1914. Two years ahead of its goal date. (coincidentally the same month as World War I began in Europe)
• People began to realize that the water supply was going to be a matter of concern by the 1930's so in 1935 the Madden Dam across the Chagres river was created.
• In 1939 another improvement was recognized as important and construction on a new set of locks for the canal began to carry larger U.S. warships that were planned for construction or would be planned for in the future. Progress was made until 1944 when it was cancelled after World War II.

CONTROL

• Control issues over the canal became problematic after World War II as U.S.-Panama relations became increasingly tense.
• Negotiations over the canal and the canal zone began in 1974 and in 1977 and agreement was reached between President Jimmy Carter and leader of Panama, Omar Torrijos to begin a process of handing the canal over to the Panama government as long as the country guaranteed permanent neutrality of the canal (Neutrality Treaty) and for the U.S. to be allowed to come back at anytime. The treaty eventually led to full Panama control to be handed over at noon on December 31, 1999 in which control was then handed over to the Panama canal authority.

SOURCES

*Kennedy, D, Cohen, L, & Bailey, T (2006). The american pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

*Panama Canal. In Wikipedia Web. Retrieved 01/18/2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_canal