Uncovering The Panama Canal

Before the Panama Canal was built, people would have to travel around South America. This took very long therefore; a passage in between the two continents would be beneficial. In the eighteen-hundreds, the project of the Panama Canal began. At first, France began the project, but lost its’ resources. Resulting, in the United States purchasing the project instead. At the time, this was the biggest project the United States had ever undertaken. It took nearly more than nine years to dig the canal. The Isthmus of Panama was the section, which came to be the Panama Canal. Although this section of land connected two continents, a canal would bring commercial, nationalistic and military benefits. Therefore, Theodore Roosevelt believed the Canal
Both the French and American lost many people. The problem became great enough to the point it had to be addressed. It took three physicians to prove mosquitoes were the cause of the diseases. William Gorgas, in eighteen months, purged the area from yellow fever. Quinine was given to stop the progress of malaria. Yet, patients could not stop taking it, since the symptoms would return. In contrast, there was no cure for yellow fever. Although, the people who did survive would become immune to it for the rest of their lives. Crude oil was another form utilized to combat the mosquitoes. Though, this form had a negative effect on mosquitoes’ life cycle and it also had a lingering smell. Also, screens were used to create protective barriers from mosquitoes. These were just some ways people used to try to protect themselves from the horrible diseases spread through
I found it interesting to read about how there were several different routes, which could have worked for the project. I had always thought the route which was chosen was the only option there was. It made me think about how different things could have turned out if any of the other routes was chosen, and how history could be different. For the following section, it was interesting learning about how much of a difference there was with the quality of the machinery utilized by both countries. The United States made a very smart move by utilizing high quality machinery, which was by far more efficient. This also enabled the United States to not only finish it quickly, but to actually finish it. In a way, I believe things worked out as an advantage to the United States. France went into Panama without thinking about the diseases that might affect the workers. In contrast, the United States knew it would be vital to the project to address the malaria and yellow fever. They also understood how important the workforce was to the project. In the third section, I learned about the many ways the people involved in the project utilized to combat mosquitoes. I had no idea that once you survived yellow fever, you would forever become immune to it. In the fourth section, I was glad to hear about all the different ways the