Panama Canal

President Roosevelt surveying the land for the proposed canal. “And the dirt will soon fly on one side or the other”

One of the greatest achievements of the 20th Century, the Panama Canal became a beacon that connected 160 countries and 1,700 ports from around the world to the Western Hemisphere. The construction of such a useful and effective trade root helped propel America into the position as a military and now economical world power that was the leading nation in trade.

During the U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War, naval operations in the region convinced President Theodore Roosevelt that America needed to control a trade canal in the Western Hemisphere.