The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, bisects the isthmus in a series of massive locks and dams. As Theodore Roosevelt had planned, the canal greatly strengthened the U.S. Navy by allowing ships to move from the Atlantic to the Pacific in a matter of days.

MAP 21.2 The Panama Canal, 1914

READING THE IMAGE: How long was the trip from New York to San Francisco before the Panama Canal was built? After it was built?

CONNECTIONS: How did Roosevelt’s desire for a canal lead to independence for Panama? How did the canal benefit the U.S. Navy?