Panama
The first instance of The USA's presence in South and Central America that comes to anyone's mind is the creation and operation of the Panama Canal. The United States first began the project in 1903 when the nation helped gain Panama independence from Columbia, eventually taking control of Panama itself. The construction of the the massive project started in 1904 and went up to 1914. Hundreds of millions of cubic meters of dirt were moved. The finished length of the Canal was fifty-one miles. It cost seven billion in today's dollars. The Canal made a journey from one side of America to the other thousands of miles shorter.
The project came with a great cost, though. It is estimated that six thousand workers died in the making of the Canal, mainly due to disease and the dangerous machines used to move dirt. However, the structure is still used today, nearly a hundred years later. It has made shipping and transportation much easier, but it can still be questioned if the costs of the Canal outweigh the benefits.
-KB
The project came with a great cost, though. It is estimated that six thousand workers died in the making of the Canal, mainly due to disease and the dangerous machines used to move dirt. However, the structure is still used today, nearly a hundred years later. It has made shipping and transportation much easier, but it can still be questioned if the costs of the Canal outweigh the benefits.
-KB
