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Powerful politicians wanted to build the canal elsewhere in Central America, in a more politically stable country, but TR saw that building it in Panama would save hundreds of millions of dollars. Panama was, at the time, a province of Colombia, that was dissatisfied with how they were being ruled from Bogota. With a degree of TR's assistance, the Panamanians rebelled and allowed the canal to be built. The canal was an enormous breakthrough for world trade and was of strategic importance.

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11y ago

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