The Panama Canal

Paper Summary:

The paper speaks about the engineering marvel of the Panama Canal which was the culmination of one of modern history's great negotiating processes. The paper describes how America deliberated with the French and the Columbians to secure the rights to complete the project.

Outline:
Executive Summary
Introduction to the Problem
Identify and Define the Problem
Types of Interest
Alternative Solutions
Common Goals and Objectives
Commitment to Work Together
Building Trust
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Americans also had to build trust with the workers who would ultimately dig the canal. Many workers for the French dig had died from the poor conditions, and the Americans needed to avoid a repeat in order to keep work moving. Unfortunately, the project got off to a poor start in 1904, when project leader John Findlay Wallace duplicated many of the French mistakes ("TR's legacy," No date). Conditions were unsanitary, the food supply was terrible, and disease began to spread again, prompting many workers to leave the project. When Wallace was replaced by John Stevens, Stevens' first priorities were to build better facilities for workers, improve sanitation efforts on the project, and to make sure the workers were well fed. These steps built trust with the disenfranchised workers, and historians widely believe that the canal would not have been completed without Stevens' intervention."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bagley, B. (1999). "Panama-Colombia border conflicts could threaten the canal." CNN. Viewed Aug. 18, 2007, at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/panama.canal/stories/border/
• "Monroe Doctrine, 1823," (No date). U.S. Department of State. Viewed Aug. 18, 2007, at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/jd/16321.htm.
• "The Panama Canal negotiations," (No date). The Negotiations Experts. Viewed Aug. 18, 2007, at http://www.negotiations.com/case/canal-route/.
• "TR's legacy: The Panama Canal," (No date). PBS. Viewed Aug. 18, 2007, at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tr/panama.html.

More papers on The Panama Canal:

• Essay # 38107 : "Yellow Fever and the Panama Canal."
• Essay # 36067 : "Panama Canal"
• Essay # 3070 : "President Jimmy Carter and The Panama Canal Treaties"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: