• R.A.W. AIM ` Where is •Why did PANAMA? the U.S. build the Panama Canal? Legacy?? In his annual messages to Congress in 1904 and 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt expanded the Monroe Doctrine. The corollary stated that not only were the nations of the Western Hemisphere not open to colonization by European powers, but that the United States had the responsibility to preserve order and protect life and property in those countries. I. The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine •TR believed that the U.S. could “intervene” in the affairs of South American countries if American interests were at stake. •The Policeman of the Western Hemisphere! II. The Big Stick Policy • “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” • Ask nicely but always have the threat of war! • TR would use the “Big Stick” in Columbia. •U.S. Navy = The Big Stick. III. The Panama Canal •Navy and merchant ships could move more quickly between the two oceans •By 1903, the U.S. gained the rights to resume construction •It would be under U.S. control but open to everyone • Born in the Panama Canal Zone 1936 • Coco Solo Naval Station • 2008 Presidential Candidate(Lost to President Obama) IV. American Influence in Panama •Roosevelt “encouraged” the Panamanians to revolt against Columbia for independence •Panama won and gave the U.S. a 99 year lease on a “canal zone” 10 miles wide V. What Impact did the Panama Canal have on the U.S.A.? •INCREASED TRADE •2 ocean navy LOCKS Panama City TODAY The opening of the waterway to world commerce on August 15, 1914, represented the realization of a heroic dream of over 400 years. The 50 miles across the isthmus were among the hardest ever won by human ingenuity. Some interesting facts: • A ship traveling from New York to San Francisco can save 7,872 miles using the Panama Canal instead of going around South America. • In the fiscal year 1994 there where 14,029 transits, which carried 170.8 million long tons of cargo and paid US $ 419.2 million in tolls. • The highest Canal toll was US $ 141,344.91 paid by the Crown Princess • the lowest toll ever paid was 36 cents by Richard Halliburton for swimming the Canal in 1928. • The average time spent in transit from port to port is approx. 8 - 10 hours. Until Lake Mead was formed by the building of the Hoover Dam, Gatun Lake was the largest artificial body of water in the world..