The Panama Canal Summary

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Citation: The Panama Canal. Stephen Ives. PBS. 2011. DVD. Purpose: The publisher of this film actually targeted most popular audiences like students, teachers and historians. The documentary uses archive footage, a lot of interviews and examining different events that led to the construction of the Panama Canal. Moreover, the documentary shows the larger picture of American history, focusing and piecing together many periods of time and showing how they all interconnect and lead to the next. Another important purpose the documentary shows was the segregation of race that happened in the construction site of the Panama Canal. Moreover were the diseases workers of the Panama Canal suffered of. Another important purpose was to recount how building the Panama Canal was tough for different engineers and how productive the canal would be to the U.S. and the entire world. Some of the key sections included were: attempt of the French to build the Panama Canal, revolution of the Panamanian elites, acquisition of the Panama Zone by the U.S., malaria/yellow fever diseases, immigrant workers of the Panama Canal, etc. Lastly, it aimed at showing how building the Panama Canal required lot of endurance, hard work and patience that would drive America into a world economic power. Summary: It was at the dawn of the 20th century that a colossal engineering project was underway which the World had never seen before. The Panama Canal was to link both the pacific and Atlantic oceans. The French Ferdinand de Lesseps was the first person to try and construct the Panama Canal. Ferdinand de Lesseps was called “Le Grand Francais” a legendary builder because of his success in building the Suez Canal. Despite the fact that many experts said the Panama Canal couldn’t be built, De Lesseps was an ambitious person. However, De Lesseps faced a lot of setback like flooding, earthquake,
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