Unit I - Imprortant Events From 1900 - 1914 : Building Of The Panama Canal

The riches of Peru, Ecuador, and Asia were realised. The time it took for the gold to reach to ports of Spain was counted. It was suggested that cutting a chunk of land out of somewhere in Panama would make the trips shorter. The risks of taking the gold other ways to Spain justified such a big project. The wars occurring in Europe, and the battle for the control of kingdoms in the Mediterranean put the project on a permanent hold. This began back around the 16Th century.

Construction of the canal did not start until 1880. The total cost of the project would eventually total $639,000,000,
$352,000,000 of that coming from the United States, making it their most expensive project ever. The project would take 34 years to complete. 80,000 people took place in the building of the canal, and about 30,000 of those people lost their lives.

The Panama Canal officially opened in 1914 with the passing of the SS. Ancon. The Canal would save vessels about 7,000 miles by passing through the canal. At the time, no single effort in American history had cost such a price in dollars or in life.

Overall the building of the Panama Canal was a great achievement, although many lives were lost in the building. 30,000 of the 80,000 is a lot of lives just to build a canal.