france was the original builder of the panama canal.
france was the original builder of the panama canal.
what country was the original builder of the panama canal?
france
after the panama canal company went bankrupt in 1888 amidst charges of fraud, bunau-varilla was left stranded in panama. he struggled to find a new way to construct the canal. when the new panama canal company sprang up back in his native france, bunau-varilla sailed home, having purchased a large amount of stock. however, as de lesseps' company had before, the new panama canal company soon abandoned efforts to build the canal. it sold the land in panama to the united states, in hopes that the company would not fail entirely. u.s. president grover cleveland, an anti-imperialist, avoided the canal issue. when the more supportive theodore roosevelt became president in 1901, canal planning resumed in the united states. bunau-varilla energetically promoted a canal in panama. with aid from the new panama canal company's new york attorney, william nelson cromwell, he persuaded the government to select panama as the canal site, as opposed to the popular alternative, nicaragua. when opponents voiced their interest in constructing a canal through nicaragua, which was a less politically volatile nation, bunau-varilla actively lobbied in the united states, for example by distributing nicaraguan postage stamps featuring belching volcanos to senators. through lobbying of businessmen, government officials, and the american public, bunau-varilla convinced the u.s. congress to appropriate $40 million to the new panama canal company, under the spooner act of 1902. the funds were contingent on negotiating a treaty with colombia to provide land for the canal in its territory of panama.
philippe bunau-varilla
by order of president theodore roosevelt under the panama canal acts of 1902 and 1904 the secretary of war was made supervisor of canal construction and the second isthmian canal commission made the governing body for the canal zone. under the panama canal act of may 24, 1912 president woodrow wilson issued executive order 1885, january 27, 1914, effective april 1, 1914 abolishing the previous governance placing it under the direction of the secretary of war with the entity designated as the panama canal. the governor of the panama canal was charged with "completion, maintenance, operation, government and sanitation of the panama canal and its adjuncts and the government of the canal zone" in the executive order. a number of departments were specified in the order with others to be established as needed by the governor of the panama canal with approval of the president and under the supervision of the secretary of war. defense of the canal was the responsibility of the secretary of war who retained control of troops with provisions for presidential appointment of an army officer in wartime who would have "exclusive authority over the operation of the panama canal and the government of the canal zone." the executive order noted in closing "that the supervision of the operations of the panama canal under the permanent organization should be under the secretary of war" thus establishing the essentially military arrangement and atmosphere for the canal and canal zone.
panama canal zone