Reason for Panama Canal

Answer 1

One of President Roosevelt's most well known foreign policies was the creation of the Panama Canal. During the Spanish-American war a United States ship that had to travel to Cuba and by the time they got there the war was already over. Due to this situation, and the many benefits that could be gained by building a canal, Roosevelt took action. Many politicians wanted to build the canal in a more stable country but Roosevelt pushed for it to be built in Panama since it would save hundreds of millions of dollars. Roosevelt traveled into Panama with many troops and forced the Panamanians to allow the construction of the canal. They refused at first, but realized they had no choice to accept since they could not compete with the American military. The United States began to negotiate a treaty with Columbia for the construction of the canal, but once they had restrained the United States went into battle and became victorious after a few hours. The construction of the canal was later allowed by Panamanians since the United States had offered them protection from Columbians. Many treaties were need for the Panamanian land although the canal was eventually completed in 1914. The main reason for the canal was to increase trade. Money was saved since it took less distance for travel and more goods were available. Since Roosevelt went into Panama and forced them to allow the construction of the canal it showed his authority. He had the bravery to attack if Panama or Columbia did not cooperate which showed how willing he was to get the job done. He believed in being aggressive and this influenced how swiftly it took to start constructing the canal. President Roosevelt ended up getting the land he desired and benefited America by gaining our intimidation as a country. This gave us more power and gave us a greater authority as a nation.

Answer 2

The earliest mention of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama dates back to 1534 when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain ordered a survey for a route through Panama that would ease the voyage for ships traveling to and from Spain and Peru, as well as give the Spanish a tactical military edge over the Portuguese. During his expedition of 1788-1793, Alessandro Malaspina demonstrated the feasibility of a canal and outlined plans for its construction.

Answer 3

Reduce the time and cost of shipping goods from Asia and west coast of the Americas to the east coast of the Americas and Europe.