World Power: The Panama Canal

Through the construction of the Panama Canal, the United States was asserted as a world power. The canal allowed easy access to new territories gained from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s. During the time of the US’s rise to world power, many new territories were acquired through imperialism. Some of these include Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Midway Islands. With a shortcut through Panama, US ships could easily travel from ocean to ocean, providing the advantage of sea control. Former citizen of Panama and author Ovidio Diaz-Espino states, “the Canal was a geopolitical strategy to make the United States the most powerful nation on earth” (pbs.org). The Panama Canal was built in such a judicious area, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,

many nations recognized the US as having full power over the sea. This allowed the United States to further expand and strengthen their empire. In addition, The primary purpose of building a canal through Panama was to provide a tactical route for military vessels to travel through. Since much of the new land gained by the US was used as military ports, naval ships could refuel and restock with efficiency. During this time, nations fought internationally through the sea, considering air-power had not yet been common. “It was a conduit for a sea power that the canal’s supporters had successfully sold the idea to the U.S. Congress and public” (Parker 395). From the very beginning of construction, the US had kept military power as number one of the canal’s purpose. In fact, the idea of total control is what appealed to Americans. Without a canal, naval ships would be devoid of quick access to US territory. If an island in the Pacific was under attack, ships on the Atlantic Ocean side would either be stuck on the wrong side, or take months to travel around South America. Furthermore, with more military ships crossing through the oceans, other nations will feel hesitant to invade the US’s territory.