
The Canal Builders
Making America's Empire at the Panama Canal
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Narrated by:
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Karen White
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By:
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Julie Greene
For a project that would secure America's position as a leading player on the world stage, the Panama Canal had controversial beginnings. When President Theodore Roosevelt seized rights to a stretch of Panama soon after the country gained its independence, many Americans saw it as an act of scandalous land-grabbing. Yet Roosevelt believed the canal could profoundly strengthen American military and commercial power while appearing to be a benevolent project for the benefit of the world. But first it had to be built. From 1904 to 1914, in one of the greatest labor mobilizations ever, working people traveled to Panama from all over the globe - from farms and industrial towns in the United States, sugarcane plantations in the West Indies, and rocky fields in Spain and Italy. When they arrived, they faced harsh and inequitable conditions: labor unions were forbidden, workers were paid differently based on their race and nationality (with the most dangerous jobs falling to West Indians), and anyone not contributing to the project could be deported. Yet Greene reveals how canal workers and their families managed to resist government demands for efficiency at all costs, forcing many officials to revise their policies.
©2008 Julie Greene (P)2009 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















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A fascinating and in depth look at the many various groups of people from different countries who worked on the canal directly or in a support role. Considering why they came, who recruited them and why. Read/ listen to the book to learn about Benevolent Despotism.
Social Engineering
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we need this book translation to Spanish
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Interesting Text; Frustrating Audio
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