ferdinand de lesseps pushed for a canal across central america linking the atlantic ocean and the pacific ocean.
ferdinand de lesseps pushed for a canal across central america linking the atlantic ocean and the pacific ocean.
who pushed for a canal across central america linking the atlantic ocean and the pacific ocean?
ferdinand de lesseps
roosevelt sought the creation of a canal through central america which would link the atlantic ocean and the pacific ocean. most members of congress preferred that the canal cross through nicaragua, which was eager to reach an agreement, but roosevelt preferred the isthmus of panama, under the loose control of colombia. colombia had been engulfed in a civil war since 1898, and a previous attempt to build a canal across panama had failed under the leadership of ferdinand de lesseps. a presidential commission appointed by mckinley had recommended the construction of the canal across nicaragua, but it noted that a canal across panama could prove less expensive and might be completed more quickly. roosevelt and most of his advisers favored the panama canal, as they believed that war with a european power, possibly germany, could soon break out over the monroe doctrine and the u.s. fleet would remain divided between the two oceans until the canal was completed. after a long debate, congress passed the spooner act of 1902, which granted roosevelt $170 million to build the panama canal. following the passage of the spooner act, the roosevelt administration began negotiations with the colombian government regarding the construction of a canal through panama.
presidency of theodore roosevelt
there is a long history of attempts to build a canal across nicaragua to connect the atlantic ocean with the pacific ocean. construction of such a shipping route—using the san juan river as an access route to lake nicaragua—was first proposed in the early colonial era. napoleon iii wrote an article about its feasibility in the middle of the 19th century. the united states abandoned plans to construct a waterway in nicaragua in the early 20th century after it purchased the french interests in the panama canal. the panama canal was built and that is now the main connecting route across central america.
history of the nicaragua canal