USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

[SOURCES]
Why did the U.S. take over construction of the Panama Canal?

(A) to help stabilize the Panamanian economy

(B) to improve diplomatic relations with Colombia

(C) to drain the region’s swamps so it could be developed

(D) ** to improve trade between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Americans knew they needed this to move ships from east to west quickly. If they did that, they would control power because they would control the oceans. The Canal was a geopolitical strategy to make the United States the most powerful nation on earth. Also, the economic impact was massive.

Concept note-2: -More than a century ago, the opening of the Panama Canal revolutionized international trade by making it much quicker and easier to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.