Lesson Plan: People and the Panama Canal
Grades 9-12
A project 400 years in the making, the Panama Canal is a man-made waterway that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, making international trade and travel easier and cheaper. First attempted by the French, the canal project was purchased by the United States in 1904 and completed 10 years later. The United States continued to exercise sovereignty over the Panama Canal and the Canal Zone throughout the 20th century. In 1964, tensions between Panama and the U.S. boiled over during a student protest, and Panamanians continued to demand ownership of the canal for the next decade. In this lesson, students will compare the experiences of an American living in the Canal Zone, Jim Jenkins; two Panamanian students, Rimsky Sucre and Pablo Mudarra; and other people who lived in Panama or worked on the canal over the centuries.
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