Seaway to the Future
American Social Visions and the Construction of the Panama Canal
Publication Year: 2008
Best Books for Regional Special Interests, selected by the American Association of School Librarians, and Best Books for General Audiences, selected by the Public Library Association
“Provide[s] a useful vantage on the world bequeathed to us by the forces that set out to put America astride the globe nearly a century ago.”—Chris Rasmussen, Bookforum
Published by: University of Wisconsin Press
Download PDF (34.7 KB)
Download PDF (42.6 KB)
Download PDF (56.7 KB)
Originally conceived as a shortcut, the Panama Canal does not always serve this purpose, asWoody Allen’s character Alvy Singer and I can testify. After many years of discussion, research, and writing, I am pleased to be able to thank the people and institutions instrumental in the...
Approaching the Panama Canal: An Introduction
Download PDF (282.2 KB)
The Panama Canal, at least from a Western perspective, is a feature of world history. It symbolizes a century-old dream, the passage to India, connecting oceans and continents. At the time of its completion in 1914, it was an engineering feat of unique and mind-boggling dimensions...
1. Logistics of Expansion: The Long Road to Realization
Download PDF (511.5 KB)
For the European explorers and conquerors, the Isthmus of Panama was a historic place. On his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus entered the mouth of the Chagres, still believing he was facing the coast of East Asia. Nine years later, in 1513, the Spaniard Vasco Nu
2. American Triumph: Explaining the Canal Project
Download PDF (435.7 KB)
When most of the Panama authors were writing their books and articles, the Canal had almost become a reality. But could the average American actually comprehend what had been achieved in the Isthmian jungle, thousands of miles away, employing technological and...
3. The Engineered View: The Panama Canal in Pictures
Download PDF (1010.4 KB)
In their efforts to interpret the building of the Panama Canal, policymakers and popular authors relied both on texts and images. The dimensions of the project surpassed all prior achievements in the history of engineering. At the same time, it took shape in a foreign country, in...
4. Ideal Community: The Canal Zone as an American Utopia
Download PDF (640.7 KB)
The staggering dimensions of the Panama Canal and the wonder of the engineering work were the main factors that drew the public’s attention to the Isthmus. The Panama authors devoted a large part of their descriptions and interpretations to the construction of the giant...
5. Celebrating the Canal: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Download PDF (745.1 KB)
The success stories of the Panama authors had all been written with a happy ending in mind: the grand opening of the waterway. But political developments in Europe interfered, and the event turned into an anti-climax. On June 28, 1914, a Serb nationalist killed the heir to the...
Conclusion: Visiting a Construction Site
Download PDF (89.2 KB)
A few years before its centennial, the Panama Canal essentially remains the same structure that was completed in 1914. Even though some ships had already been too big for the passage by the 1930s, few changes were made in the following decades. Only...
Download PDF (881.1 KB)
Download PDF (342.4 KB)
Publication Year: 2008