Construction of the Panama Canal began in 1904. A workforce of about 30,000 laborers completed the 51 mile long "big ditch" in just ten years. when it opened in 1914, the Panama Canal gave the United States a commanding position in the Western Hemisphere.

DIRECT LINK TO ARTICLE: The Panama Canal

SOURCE CITATION: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness," Bill of Rights Institute. https://cnx.org/contents/NgBFhmUc@13.2:pHAnkICT/10-8-%F0%9F%94%8E-The-Panama-Canal