world history
panama canal, muckrakers
what is the panama canal and why is it important?
it is a 50 mile long passage that connected the Atlantic and pacific oceans. The canal uses a system of locks that lift ships 85 feet above sea level. The building of the canal was plagued by poor planning, engineering problems, and tropical disease that killed thousands of workers. The canal was important because it hooked the atlantic and pacific oceans together and made a shortcut for ships.
What are muckrakers and why are they important?
Muckrakers are a brave cadre of reporters exposed injustices so grave they made the blood of an average American run cold. A couple of them are Lincoln Steffen and Ida Tarbell. Steffen's exposed how city officials worked in league with big companies to maintain power. Tarbell outlined and documented the cutthroat business practices behind john Rockefellers meteoric rise. Muckrakers are important because they wanted to expose all the scandalous and dirty things going on behind the scenes of big businesses.