Transcript The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal
World Geography
Class Notes
Thinking Questions
• Study the Following Map
• Imagine that the Panama Canal does not
exist
• Trace 2 possible sea routes from New
York City to Los Angeles
• Why are both routes less convenient than
travelling along the Panama Canal?
Thinking Question
• Study this Map of the Panama
Canal
• Based on the Map, list 2
reasons that world leaders
dating back to 1534 dreamed
of building a canal along the
Isthmus of Panama?
The Panama Canal
• A
An Old Idea
• First leader to
consider building a
canal was King
Charles V of Spain in
1534
• Isthmus of Panama
was thought to be too
mountainous… idea
abandoned
The French Attempt
• France hired Ferdinand de
Lesseps to oversee
construction in 1881
• De Lesseps had overseen
construction of the Suez
Canal
• Project was a disaster!
• French attempt to build a
sea level canal without
locks!
• Over 22,000 workers die of
diseases like Yellow Fever
• In 1889 the project is
abandoned
• France spends over
$200,000,000 on a failure!
Teddy Roosevelt: President: 1901-1909
• 26th President of the
United States
• Believed that the U.S.
would become a leading
world power if Americans
built the canal
• One Problem: Colombia
controls the Panama
Isthmus and they refuse
to sell it to the United
States!
Teddy Solves the Problem!
• The U.S. gives money to
rebels in Panama and
military support
• The U.S. also pays
Colombian soldiers to not
fight against the rebels
• Panama wins
independence in
November 1903
• Panama then sells the
rights to build and
maintain the canal to the
U.S.
Mosquitoes
•
•
•
•
•
•
At first, the Americans repeat
French mistakes
Many canal workers become sick
with Yellow Fever
Most people thought Yellow Fever
was caused by bad hygiene and
dirty living conditions
One American doctor thought it
was caused by mosquitoes
Dr. William C. Gorgas convinces
T.R. to allow him to wage war on
mosquitoes
By 1906, the mosquito population
is largely dead and no more
workers will die from Yellow
Fever!
Ships Sailing Over Mountains?
• At first, the Americans try to
build the canal at sea level,
like the French
• The project engineer, John
Frank Stevens, that the canal
will have to be a lock canal
• To understand what that
meant: watch this video:
• http://video.pbs.org/video/1747
929120/
• (start video at 28:32 mark after
intro advertisement plays play
until 31:43 mark)
• Note the Canal locks on the
map on the next slide including
the Chagres River
Images of Canal Construction
Lock construction
T.R.
operates
a steam
shovel
Canal workers:
Many came from
Barbados,
like the U.S.
at the time,
racial segregation
was practiced
End of Construction
• The canal was officially
opened on August 15, 1914
• The SS Cristobal (pictured)
first ship to cross into Pacific
from canal on August 1
• Project cost $350 million
dollars: most expensive
Federal project up to time
• 5,000 workers died during
construction
• The United States was now
seen by the rest of the World
as a Global Power!
Controversy
• As time went on, many in
Panama resented
American control of the
canal
• In 1977, President Jimmy
Carter signed a treaty
with Panama which
granted control of the
canal to Panama in the
year 2000
• In 1999, the U.S. honored
the treaty and Panama
took control of the canal
2 videos about travelling through locks
on the Panama Canal!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pekPzs
6qvsQ (10 minute video of a Canadian
Cruise ship passing through one of the
locks)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQQ3E
uGL3QI (10 minute video of a boat
crossing from the Pacific to the Atltantic)
• May watch all or part of either videos
Sources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Images:
http://placesbook.org/panama-canal
http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-sea-ports-map.htm
http://www.ncl.com/cruise-destination/panama_canal/ports/map
http://wp.menloschool.org/mwhbblock/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/map-of-the-suez-canal1.gif
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/theodoreroosevelt
http://www.koru-corporate-services-company.com/general/why_panama-country-description.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_C._Gorgas.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/John_Frank_Stevens.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Panama_Canal_Map_EN.png
http://www.trsite.org/content/images/history/tr-steam-shovel-full.jpg
http://www.canalmuseum.com/photos/panamacanalphoto022.htm
Information
http://www.pancanal.com/eng/history/history/early.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Panama_Canal#The_French_project
The American Experience video: The Panama Canal. PBS Homevideo:
http://video.pbs.org/video/1747929120/
http://www.danallen.com/blurb.php?dogNow=715