Research Paper on:
Construction of the Panama Canal

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
1986, p. 38). Certainly, it was a significant turning point in the history of the United States, and its effects were far-reaching. The building of the canal incorporated  all of the virtues that had become synonymous with the American Dream, not to mention that its completion, in spite of formidable obstacles, sent a clear message to the rest  of the world that Uncle Sam was a force to be reckoned with, a superpower in the making (Hogan, 1986). Although building construction had officially begun during the late  nineteenth century, a Panama Canal had been alive in concept for centuries as many explorers and commerce-seeking nations sought to construct and isthmus short cut that a canal for ships  could provide (Low, 1992). Without it, ships would be forced to sail 10,000 miles around Cape Horn, which meant that international commerce moved at a snails pace (Ormsbee, 2002).  Although the United States would have certainly enjoyed taking the credit for the idea of building the Panama Canal, it was actually the French Company, La Compagnie Universelle du Canal  Interoceanique, that officially commenced construction plans in 1880 (Ormsbee, 2002). Overseen by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the mastermind of the Suez Canal, the proposed canal was given high priority by  the French government because of its global prestige, and millions of francs were raised, but unfortunately, massive problems threatened to sink the project early (Low, 1992). De Lesseps incorrectly  assumed that digging through mountainous terrain would be the same as penetrating through the level and sandy soil that characterized the Suez region (Low, 1992). The geographical issues and  gross mismanagement resulted in the squandering of practically all the funds that had been earmarked for the project (Low, 1992). In 1898, after 18 years, a cost of $260