The canal was a geopolitical strategy to make the United States the most powerful nation on earth. … Americans knew they needed this to move ships from east to west quickly. If they did that, they would control power because they would control the oceans.
Why did the US want to build a canal through Panama quizlet?
Americans and Europeans had long wanted to build a canal across Central America. … A canal would connect the Caribbean and the Pacific Oceans, and eliminate the need for the long voyage around South America.