It was in 1902 when the United States was flirting with building a canal in Nicaragua, while France was experiencing much turmoil in their attempt in Panama, when a volcano erupted and killed 30,000 people. Therefore, the United States were deterred from building a Nicaraguan canal. Therefore, the United States focused their efforts on acquiring control of the Panama Canal zone, which was under Colombian control at the time, albeit a small independence movement. The U.S. utilized their military power to boost the movement, and the new government gave the U.S. control over the canal area in 1903.
Things weren’t all peaches and cream for the United States, either. Chief engineer John Stevens experienced much of the same struggles – especially …show more content…
The United States exercised control over the area even through long lasting periods of Panamanian resentment towards the U.S. as they questioned the United States authority to govern Panamanian land. It led to increased tension between the United States and Panama, and eventually, a response to civil unrest and protests in the 1950’s and 60’s, (Ormsbee, 2007) a treaty was signed in 1977 between Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos, leader of Panama. This treaty was officially titled “The Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal” and had the overall effort to keep the Panama Canal a productive means for society and world economics. Panama and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) took over in late 1999, and have held the Panama Canal to the standards outlined in the treaty. In addition, the canal has proved to be a vital source of revenue for the country of Panama as a …show more content…
World powers including France, the United States, and China have raced to accomplish a canal in hopes of expanding world trade and the speedy transport of goods. A wide range of routes were considered, including the Tehuantepec Isthmus in Mexico, the Lake Nicaragua/Escondido River route in Nicaragua, and of course the Panama Isthmus. All of these were viable options for this lofty (and expensive) goal. It was the United States’ successful effort in Panama that displays just how important the canal was, for at construction, no one imagined the output that the canal would have that it does today. The effect that the Panama Canal has had on politics and economics are widespread, sending a reverberation throughout the world. Today, this reverberation is fueling an effort to build another one just a few hundred kilometers away. Such a project would also heavily influence economic and political realms, and the completion a heavy set of environmental compromises. The story of the Panama Canal and its embryonic successor speak to the constant evolution of the world’s geography: the ever-changing science of time and
Things weren’t all peaches and cream for the United States, either. Chief engineer John Stevens experienced much of the same struggles – especially …show more content…
The United States exercised control over the area even through long lasting periods of Panamanian resentment towards the U.S. as they questioned the United States authority to govern Panamanian land. It led to increased tension between the United States and Panama, and eventually, a response to civil unrest and protests in the 1950’s and 60’s, (Ormsbee, 2007) a treaty was signed in 1977 between Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos, leader of Panama. This treaty was officially titled “The Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal” and had the overall effort to keep the Panama Canal a productive means for society and world economics. Panama and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) took over in late 1999, and have held the Panama Canal to the standards outlined in the treaty. In addition, the canal has proved to be a vital source of revenue for the country of Panama as a …show more content…
World powers including France, the United States, and China have raced to accomplish a canal in hopes of expanding world trade and the speedy transport of goods. A wide range of routes were considered, including the Tehuantepec Isthmus in Mexico, the Lake Nicaragua/Escondido River route in Nicaragua, and of course the Panama Isthmus. All of these were viable options for this lofty (and expensive) goal. It was the United States’ successful effort in Panama that displays just how important the canal was, for at construction, no one imagined the output that the canal would have that it does today. The effect that the Panama Canal has had on politics and economics are widespread, sending a reverberation throughout the world. Today, this reverberation is fueling an effort to build another one just a few hundred kilometers away. Such a project would also heavily influence economic and political realms, and the completion a heavy set of environmental compromises. The story of the Panama Canal and its embryonic successor speak to the constant evolution of the world’s geography: the ever-changing science of time and