interests in Panama built a railroad across the Isthmus to transport '49ers to California. The canal's construction was a phenomenal undertaking. interventions in the Caribbean and Central America were undertaken largely to protect the canal from hostile powers. During World War II, the United States stationed 65,000 troops in Panama to protect the canal. Earlier in the century, however, the canal was regarded as a vital national interest. Aircraft carriers and oil tankers were too large to pass through the canal's locks. Fifty-one miles long, with about $3.5 billion in bases and infrastructure, the canal links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.Īt the end of the 20th century, the canal was no longer essential to U.S. Prior to the development of the atomic bomb and the landing of astronauts on the moon, the Panama Canal was perhaps this country's signal engineering achievement. Digital History Printable Version "A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama"Īt noon on December 31, 1999, the United States voluntarily gave up the Panama Canal, ending 85 years of control.
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