1. Expanding America: President Theodore Roosevelt

2. Objective:
By the end of the lesson, I will explain how America expanded its role in the world during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

3. Quick Review!
Under President William McKinley (1898), America became much stronger because of:
A big win in the Spanish-American War (Think new land owned by America).
The booming business in America (Steel, new inventions)!

4. "In order to change the world, you must first understand it."
As a result of the Spanish-American war, the new American empire stretched from Puerto Rico in the in the Caribbean (A) to the Philippines in the Pacific (1).
"In order to change the world, you must first understand it."

5. Getting Rich!
America was very strong because they were getting rich from big business such as steel.

6. "In order to change the world, you must first understand it."
I am the man
(and my mustache is amazing)
Teddy Roosevelt
"In order to change the world, you must first understand it."

7. Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States.
He served as President from
He was also a famous leader in the Spanish- American War.
Like McKinley, Roosevelt wanted to show the world how powerful America had become.
Roosevelt also wanted to make America even more powerful!

9. Roosevelt’s Expansion!
Roosevelt felt that America should expand its power and influence around the world.

10. Roosevelt’s Expansion
Roosevelt thought he would make America more powerful by making it easier for America to do trade (business) with itself and other countries.
Increasing the business that a country does only increases how much money you make.
The more trade that you do, the richer you become!

11. The Problem
Having trade between the East Coast of the U.S. and the West Coast of the U.S. would only increase business for everyone!
The East Coast of the United States was having a hard time trading with the West Coast of the United States.
In the early 1900s, the U.S. didn’t have trucks to bring things back and forth, and there weren’t that many trains

12. Why was it hard to do trade between the East Coast and the West Coast of the U.S.?

13. Problem
The distance and time that it took to get from coast to coast was ridiculously long!
How would you solve this problem?

15. The World’s Most Important Shortcut
The Panama Canal
The World’s Most Important Shortcut

16. What is a canal?
A man-made waterway that connects large bodies of water so that ships can travel between them.
Canals with Locks are used to make ships climb mountains

17. Here is how the Panama Canal works

18. What are locks?
A lock is a part of a canal with gates at each end where boats are raised or lowered to different water levels.

19. The Panama Canal
Teddy Roosevelt said that the distance was ridiculous! Something needs to be done.
Roosevelt believed that a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans could help America’s Military and economic interests.
In 1882, a French company had started to build a canal in Central America. They stopped the constructions due to death from diseases.

20. Panama Canal
1904, the United States purchased a 10 mile wide strip of land from Panama for the canal.
U.S. knew that it would have to overcome disease problem of malaria and yellow fever.
Doctors discovered that the diseases were caused by mosquitoes.
U.S. set up ways to get rid of the diseases:
Drain swamps
Cover water supplies and tents with nets
Put in new sewers

22. Building the Canal
The next 2 pictures show what the area looked like when construction started on the canal. Can you explain 3 complications that would have existed for the people building the canal. Provide evidence from the pictures that proves your point.

24. Image Courtesy of: http://www. anu. edu

25. Panama Canal

26. The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal made it a lot easier for the U.S. to do trade between its East Coast and its West Coast.
The U.S. was also able to do more trade with countries around the world, because boats could now cut through the Panama Canal.

27. Panama Canal
The Panama Canal made the U.S. even more powerful because with more trade, the U.S. was making more money; more business was happening!

28. Teddy Roosevelt Flexes Even More
If the Canal was not enough to show the world America’s power, President Roosevelt also sent the Great White Fleet around Asian waters to show the rest of the world how strong America’s military had become.

29. The Great White Fleet

30. Panama Canal and the Military
With the Panama Canal opened the United States Military had:
Clear sailing to defend U.S. interest all over the world.
United States Navy could respond more swiftly if needed.

31. Panama Canal Facts and Figures
Opened August 15, 2014
extends miles
Three sets of locks
Size of locks limit ships that can use the canal
Commercial supertankers and bigger U.S. Navy aircraft carriers too big to pass through the canal
Average of 37 ships pass through daily
9 hours for the average ship to pass through
70 percent of the cargo is going to or from U.S. ports

32. Key Points
President Roosevelt wanted to show the world how powerful America had become.
Took 10 years to complete
Gave the United States clear access to world trade.
U.S. Navy and military had clear sailing to defend U.S. interests all over the world.
Under McKinley and Roosevelt’s Presidency, the United States emerged a powerful country.

33. Courtesy of: http://www.canalmuseum.com/photos/panamacanalphoto002.htm

34. Courtesy of: http://www.canalmuseum.com/photos/panamacanalphoto002.htm

35. Courtesy of: http://www.canalmuseum.com/photos/panamacanalphoto003.htm

36. Here are the giant locks
Courtesy of:

37. Here are the giant locks being built
Photo from the Canal Zone Brats

38. Here are the giant locks being built
Photos Courtesy of

39. The building of the canal

40. The building of the canal

41. 1914 The Canal Opens

42. The Panama Canal Today