No single great material work which remains to be undertaken on this continent is of such consequence to the American people as
the building of a canal across the Isthmus connecting North and South America. Its importance to the Nation is by no means limited merely to its material effects upon our business prosperity. . . . —President Theodore Roosevelt The policy outlined in the excerpt was directly influenced by problems that the U.S. Navy had recently confronted during — a. the Cuban Revolution
b. the Mexican War
c. World War I
d. the Spanish-American War
The excerpt is part of President Roosevelt´s first State of the Union address, in 1902, when he stated firmly that the canal was a prime priority for his government. The Spanish-American War had proven that a faster water crossing between the Us´s east and west coast was very much needed.
By 1903 the United States had helped Panama become independent from Columbia, and bought a 10-mile wide piece of property in order o build the Panama Canal.
