fleet off the coast of Cuba. Though, traveling around South America was a problem for nearly every country. The French Compagnie Universalle du Canal Interocéanique(Interoceanic Canal Company) began construction on a connecting canal. This canal would unite the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, making traveling the world a quicker voyage. Ferdinand de Lesseps led the project. In the end, the rain and the Chagres River destroyed what engineering and hard labor had wrought. Mudslides buried men, supplies, and machines. And from the freshwater pools that lay everywhere, a deadly plague of insects rose. The French were desperate and asked the U.S. to buy the land from them, and continue construction. In 1902, the United States reached an agreement to buy rights to the French canal property and equipment for a sum not to exceed $40 million. Theodore Roosevelt, the current president then, asked Colombia for the rights to build the Panama Canal. The Colombians were unhappy that something might be built in their land, and the Panamains were unhappy that they were under the rule of Colombia. While agreements were being settled with Colombia, Phillipe Bunau-Varilla helped organize the Panamain revolution against Colombia. November 3, 1903, the U.S. Navy warships declared Panama's independence (Americans 1100). Congress payed Colombia $25 million to compensate the country for lost territory. Later that year, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty with Panama gave the United States perpetual control of the canal for a price of $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000. During construction, yellow fever had hit hard, killing many workers. September 26, 1913, the canal's first trail run was a success. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914. When Roosevelt visited to check the progress on the canal, he became the first U.S. President to leave the country.
fleet off the coast of Cuba. Though, traveling around South America was a problem for nearly every country. The French Compagnie Universalle du Canal Interocéanique(Interoceanic Canal Company) began construction on a connecting canal. This canal would unite the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, making traveling the world a quicker voyage. Ferdinand de Lesseps led the project. In the end, the rain and the Chagres River destroyed what engineering and hard labor had wrought. Mudslides buried men, supplies, and machines. And from the freshwater pools that lay everywhere, a deadly plague of insects rose. The French were desperate and asked the U.S. to buy the land from them, and continue construction. In 1902, the United States reached an agreement to buy rights to the French canal property and equipment for a sum not to exceed $40 million. Theodore Roosevelt, the current president then, asked Colombia for the rights to build the Panama Canal. The Colombians were unhappy that something might be built in their land, and the Panamains were unhappy that they were under the rule of Colombia. While agreements were being settled with Colombia, Phillipe Bunau-Varilla helped organize the Panamain revolution against Colombia. November 3, 1903, the U.S. Navy warships declared Panama's independence (Americans 1100). Congress payed Colombia $25 million to compensate the country for lost territory. Later that year, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty with Panama gave the United States perpetual control of the canal for a price of $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000. During construction, yellow fever had hit hard, killing many workers. September 26, 1913, the canal's first trail run was a success. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914. When Roosevelt visited to check the progress on the canal, he became the first U.S. President to leave the country.