The Panama Canal – Part 3: Make The Dirt Fly!

About this episode

The episode discusses the final phase of the Panama Canal's construction under Theodore Roosevelt, highlighting the challenges faced by workers.

In the third and final installment of the series, President Theodore Roosevelt mobilizes the full industrial might of United States to “make the dirt fly” in Panama and succeed where the French Syndicate failed. But many perils await them in “The Zone”. From disease-bearing mosquitos and intractable terrain, to labor problems and lethal accidents, the Panamanian jungle will not be tamed without a fight. SOURCES: Burton, Anthony. The Canal Pioneers: Canal Construction from 2500 BC to the Early 20th Century. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime, 2018. Charles River Editors. The Panama Canal: The Construction and History of the Waterway Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2013. Diaz Espino, Ovidio. How Wall Street Created a Nation: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, and the Panama Canal. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003. Greene, Julie. The Canal Builders: Making America’s Empire at the Panama Canal. New York: Penguin Press, 2009. Karabell, Zachary. Parting the Desert: The Creation of the Suez Canal. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. Keller, Ulrich. The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs. New York: Dover Publications, 1983…

Topics covered

• Panama Canal
• Theodore Roosevelt
• construction challenges
• historical events
• disease and labor issues

Keywords

• Panama Canal
• Theodore Roosevelt
• construction
• disease
• labor problems
• historical challenges

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: French Syndicate

Books & works: The Canal Pioneers: Canal Construction from 2500 BC to the Early 20th Century, The Panama Canal: The Construction and History of the Waterway Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, How Wall Street Created a Nation: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, and the Panama Canal, The Canal Builders: Making America’s Empire at the Panama Canal, Parting the Desert: The Creation of the Suez Canal, The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs, Erased: The Untold Story of the Panama Canal, Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama, Chokepoint: The Epic History of the Suez Canal

Places: Panama, Panamanian jungle

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