To what extend does the number of deaths and debt during the construction of the Panama Canal out weights the profit and practicality that it provided during the 1900s?

Section C

The book Theodore Rex, written by Edmund Morris, details the live of Theodore Roosevelt and its policy in Latin America. The source’s purpose is to analyze Roosevelt’s ideas. It offers a great perspective on the Panama Canal from the American side. This is useful given that it provides insight to the way Americans reacted to the problems caused by the Canal Zone. This is the best source also because it goes into great deal about the way Roosevelt manage the project. Even though Roosevelt was not a major focus on this investigation, the data provides details about the events going on at the time. It also offers multiple primary sources such as enrollment and casualties list. One of the limitations however, is that the author is Kenyan. As a result, he doesn't necessarily share the same ideas as an American nor does he portray the American nationalistic writing style.

        The second book,The Real Conditions at Panama, offers a perspective from the actual Panamanians. For instance, this will balance the bias found in the first source. Also it provides primary sources that deals with conflicts between natives and Americans during the 1900’s. A limitation is that it deals mostly with Panamanians perspective, rather than focusing on the actual construction of the canal. It still provides great insight on the riots and fights between the two cultures.

Section D

        Once the U.S had control of the Canal Zone, the zone were the canal was meant to be built, they send workers and engineers to begin work as soon as possible. (Sass, 154) However, as soon as John Findley Wallace, the chief engineer of the construction, arrived to the site; he was quoted on a letter reporting to Roosevelt: “The living conditions are nothing as expected.There is little in the way of housing for the workers, no public buildings, few roads and no sewage system.” (Morris, 110) The living conditions were horrible, mostly because there was no infrastructure which caused thousands of workers to quit, including Wallace, because he feared for his health.(Morris, 110) In fear that the project might fail, Roosevelt replaces Wallace with John F. Stevens.(Omar,123) Due to the lack of facilities and resources available to the workers, Stevens was forced to stop construction of the canal for a whole year.(Morris, 111) An estimated 1,250 homes were built during this period, along with 1,200 administration and recreational centers.(Murillo, 243) The U.S had to spend over $60,000 dollars to sponsor to construction of communities near the construction site.(Murillo, 244) During this time, there was no progress on the canal either. (Murillo, 244)As a result, it shows that if the U.S hadn’t acted so rash in buying the land, they could have save a lot of money and time.  But instead, the bill simply pile up, which created made less resources available for the actual construction of the Canal. (Omar, 123)

        The second major problem that the U.S government had to deal with was the health concerns.(Sass, 145) The Yellow fever and Malaria were the two most dangerous disease of the time. (Sass, 145) The quote: “The dead bodies killed by unsanitary conditions had to be disposed of in the dumping grounds- simply rolled down an embankment, then buried beneath several tons of spoil.” appears in several accounts from workers, both American and Panamanians.(McCullough) Yellow fever took the lives of over 15,000 men, while Malaria killed over 10,000 men.(McCullough) The multitude of deaths lead to chaos from the workers, in fear for their health.(Omar, 145) In 1905, Steven briefly stopped construction again so he could deal with this diseases. (Omar, 146) Thankfully, the origin of this disease was found during this period, which allowed Steven to locate the source to his problems.(Sass and Wiegand, 169) In order to stop the disease from spreading, he had to kill most of the mosquito population in the area, since mosquitos were the transmitters of the disease.(Sass and Wiegand, 169) It took over 700,000 gallons of oil to cover every pound of stagnant water, where mosquito eggs are laid.(Morris, 148) It took a year, but eventually deaths decrease and the workers returned to work. (Morris, 148) The number of deaths actually outweigh any monetary bills, and since a great number were Americans, it shocked the population to hear that so many were dying on a construction project that the U.S had invested over 50 million dollars.(Morris,149) It discourage many Americans from migrating to the Canal zone to work. It also worried the population that the losses were being too great. (Sass, 151)The lack of support from the population hinder the image of the canal and affected many of Roosevelt’s policies, especially in South America, given that the public was scared of loosing more man and money.

        Lastly, the decision to buy the canal created greater repercussion to the U.S given that the Canal Zone created sectionalism in Panama.(Sass and Wiegand,243)  This caused many of the natives to dislike the American workers, harming the way in which the country and the world saw Roosevelt's policies. (McCullough) As the colony in the Canal Zone grew, the population increased and the amount of dependability from Panama decreased.(McCullough) Soon the Canal Zone had its on courts, police and even civil government.(Lyle, 42) A panamanian citizen stated: “The settlement started growing over the years. It was turning into a colony rather than a working site, with new workers coming in everyday.” (Vose, page 418) The size of the zone wasn’t the countries major concern; what really worried them was the fact that the zone extended from coast to coast, and literally split the country in half. (Lyle, 42) Many of the citizens were unable to cross given that the relations between the workers and the natives was deteriorating at a fast rate.(Sass, 156) Construction on the Canal had to be stopped ever three months due to riots and fights between the Panamanians and the Americans. (Sass, 157) This lead of course slowed down the construction speed of the canal. These riots and fights hinder the American image on a national and international level. (Vose, 419) It affected relations between other countries in South America, damaging imperialistic policies that Roosevelt had on the Western Hemisphere. (Vose, 419)

Section E

By the 1915’s, after the completion of the canal, the U.S was making over 4 million dollars in profit annually. However when compared to the money spend and the lives lost, it out weights any monetary income. The U.S spend over 350 million dollars in construction and over 40, 000 workers were killed by tropical diseases and explosions. Not only that but the US image was permanently at an International level because not many countries, especially in South America, wanted to get involve with U.S policies. At the same time, Roosevelt lost support from many American citizens, given that they fear the death of their family members. In the end, the acquisition of the Panama Canal caused more problems than benefits for the U.S because their only victory is to cross oceans in half the time. The price for this came in blood and money, which are represented in Roosevelt’s imperialistic policies, which ended up harming the U.S in more ways than it was benefiting it.

Section F

Word Count: 2,000

List of Sources:

• Lyle, Jr., Eugene P. (November 1905). . XI: 6858–6892. Retrieved 2009-07-10.Includes c. 1905 construction photos.
• McCullough, David. (1977). The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914. New York: Simon & Schuster.
• Thorp, William (March 1904). .  VII: 4594–4599. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
• "Panama Canal Museum | Timeline — 1914 - 1979 The American Era: Operation Phase." Panama Canal Museum | Dedicated to the United States Role in the History of Panama. Panama Canal Museum. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <>.
•  Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris, Random House Publishing Group | Paperback, NOOK Book (eBook)." Barnes & Noble - Books, Textbooks, EBooks, Toys, Games, DVDs and More. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <>.
• Reid, Lydia M. "The Panama Canal Death Tolls « The Silver People Heritage Foundation." The Silver People Heritage Foundation. 28 Apr. 2008. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <>.
• "Panama Canal History - End of the Construction." Panama Canal - Canal De Panamá - . Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <>.
• Migdolo, A. "Hay-herran Treaty « Eyes On Colombia." Eyes On Colombia. 30 Sept. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <>.
• Sass, Erik, Steve Wiegand, Will Pearson, and Mangesh Hattikudur. The Mental Floss History of the World: an Irreverent Romp through Civilization's Best Bits. New York: Harper, 2009. Print.
• Sass, Erik. "BARNES & NOBLE | The Mental Floss History of the United States: The (Almost) Complete and (Entirely) Entertaining Story of America by Erik Sass, HarperCollins Publishers | Paperback, NOOK Book (eBook)." Barnes & Noble - Books, Textbooks, EBooks, Toys, Games, DVDs and More. Harper. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <>.