En la actualidad este cana pertenece al Estado Panameño, luego de haberse suscrito el tratado Torrijos - Carter.

1. The building of the Panama Canal took 34 years from
the initial effort in 1880 to actually opening the canal
in 1914. The building of the canal is considered one of
the greatest engineering feats in history.

2. To sail from Atlantic to
Pacific, ships navigated
around Cape Horn, the
treacherous southern
extremity of South America.
A New York to San Francisco
journey measured some
13,000 miles and took
months.

3. Describe two reasons why the President Roosevelt
wanted to build a canal through Panama?
American builders faced difficult problems that
threatened to derail the project such as tropical diseases
like Malaria and Yellow Fever.

4. Using the first step
of the AHPPA
describe the problem
that the political
cartoon is showing?
What are three
consequences from
the problem shown
in the political
cartoon?

5. Using the second step
of the AHPPA , gather
evidence to support
how tropical diseases
were a problem during
the construction of the
Panama Canal?
List three ways you
think would help
combat these tropical
diseases?

6. Dr. William Gorgas, was hired to eradicate
yellow fever , like he had in Havana years
before. He was able to accomplish his goal
by killing the mosquitoes that carried the
diseases. Workers:
1. Drained swamps, swept
drainage ditches, paved roads
and installed plumbing.
2. Sprayed pesticides by the ton.
3. Entire towns rose from the
jungle, complete with
housing, schools, churches,
commissaries, and social
halls.

7. It is estimated that over 80,000
persons took part in the
construction and that over
30,000 lives were lost in both
French and American efforts.
U.S President Theodore Roosevelt
Visiting the canal construction site.

8. 1909 Lock Construction
The American expenditures from 1904 to 1914 totaled
$352,000,000, far more than the cost of anything built
by the United States Government up to that time. In
today’s money it would cost $7,448,028,707.72

9. At the Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side, workers poured
enough concrete to build a wall 8' wide, 12' high, and 133
miles long. They built culverts the size of railroad tunnels
to channel water from Gatun Lake into the locks.

10. By August 15, 1914 the Panama Canal
was officially opened by the passing of
the SS Ancon.

11. Map of the Panama Canal
Figure 3: A map showing the route of
the completed canal. A series of "locks"
are used to control the water level
within the canal.

12.  Mr. Henry
 North Syracuse Junior High
 mhenry@nscsd.org