Part 1: Identification and Evaluation of Main Source The question that will be addressed in this historical investigation is, To what extent did U.S. involvement in Panama leave lasting economic and environmental effects? The main source chosen is a brief speech about the background of the Panama Canal and the struggles that it came with. The speech included the significance of Teddy Roosevelt and the United States during the process of the canal being built like how the United States helped Panama get their independence from Columbia so that Panamanians would let the canal zone be Americas’. The main source is a secondary source and was a speech given by Maurice Joyce and Richard Rael who are both part of a show called The Making of a
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In 1902, the United States bought the canal zone for about forty-four thousand dollars in 1902. Specifically, Schwartz explained why the price was forty-four thousand dollars by saying, “the whole canal deal had been arranged by a syndicate of Wall Street financiers, who manipulated the shares of the Panama Canal Company to make a $4 million profit on top of the $40 million that the U.S. government paid for its rights, property, and equipment on the isthmus” (Schwartz 31). Furthermore, the United States continues to send ships through the canal daily because the canal made a waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific ocean. This is one of the reasons why the U.S. wanted the canal to be built along with Roosevelt wanting to expand American strength over seas. Since the canal created a waterway, “Many U.S. exports and imports travel through the Canal daily (over 10% of all U.S. shipping goes through the Canal)” (“Economic Importance”). As a result of the United States using this canal, Panama has gained a rough estimate of about one hundred ninety-two dollars. The United States aren’t the only country in the western hemisphere who uses the canal, Canada also uses the canal daily. For instance, “During the more than 80 years of the Canal’s existence, over 800,000 ships have taken advantage of this short …show more content…
Also, I found that Panama got a little more money out of the United States because of the Wall Street financiers in Panama manipulating the sale of the canal zone. Finally, I learned that the United States has helped Panama form their own economy by the Panama Canal.
What interested me about my topic was how the Panama Canal did serious damage to the Panama Rainforest. It’s interesting to think that the whole forest relies on itself to survive and if you remove just one portion of the rainforest many plants and animals will die immediately or die eventually by a domino effect. Another fact that caught my attention during my research was how the United States got “played” in a way because the Wall Street Financiers got another four million dollars when the United States tried to buy the canal zone for the original price of forty million dollars.
Part 4: List of
In 1902, the United States bought the canal zone for about forty-four thousand dollars in 1902. Specifically, Schwartz explained why the price was forty-four thousand dollars by saying, “the whole canal deal had been arranged by a syndicate of Wall Street financiers, who manipulated the shares of the Panama Canal Company to make a $4 million profit on top of the $40 million that the U.S. government paid for its rights, property, and equipment on the isthmus” (Schwartz 31). Furthermore, the United States continues to send ships through the canal daily because the canal made a waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific ocean. This is one of the reasons why the U.S. wanted the canal to be built along with Roosevelt wanting to expand American strength over seas. Since the canal created a waterway, “Many U.S. exports and imports travel through the Canal daily (over 10% of all U.S. shipping goes through the Canal)” (“Economic Importance”). As a result of the United States using this canal, Panama has gained a rough estimate of about one hundred ninety-two dollars. The United States aren’t the only country in the western hemisphere who uses the canal, Canada also uses the canal daily. For instance, “During the more than 80 years of the Canal’s existence, over 800,000 ships have taken advantage of this short …show more content…
Also, I found that Panama got a little more money out of the United States because of the Wall Street financiers in Panama manipulating the sale of the canal zone. Finally, I learned that the United States has helped Panama form their own economy by the Panama Canal.
What interested me about my topic was how the Panama Canal did serious damage to the Panama Rainforest. It’s interesting to think that the whole forest relies on itself to survive and if you remove just one portion of the rainforest many plants and animals will die immediately or die eventually by a domino effect. Another fact that caught my attention during my research was how the United States got “played” in a way because the Wall Street Financiers got another four million dollars when the United States tried to buy the canal zone for the original price of forty million dollars.
Part 4: List of