Many Uses The Panama Canal was a project started by the French in 1881, and because of the failure that they endured while building the canal, the company went bankrupt and the US would agree to take up the construction. After Colombia denied the U.S the right to take it over, the Panamanian people decided to revolt against the Colombians, and the U.S supported them. In this revolt, the Panamanians would receive their independence. From then on, the U.S had control over the Panamanian land to be able to build the canal. Incidents That Led Up To The Building Of The Canal The U.S had predicted the upcoming conflicts with Spain and were prepared to go to war. They mobilized by sending the USS Oregon from California to Cuba, but this voyage would take more than 60 days and they had to stop at the tip of South America numerous times for coal. From this moment on, the U.S government knew that it was essential to have a canal that could transport supplies faster and connect the oceans. Reason For The Construction Of The Canal Details Of The Construction The U.S started on the canal in 1904 using the labor force of the West Indies. Temperatures during the construction were extremely hot and the area was very mountainous. They had to build a dam to stop the flooding of the Chagres River when their was heavy rainfall. They also came across malaria and yellow fever amongst other tropical diseases. Once they eliminated the bugs carrying the diseases, it was safe for workers to continue