A Snapshot in Time
Exploring the Panama Canal through the Lens of the American Experience
Students will:

Explore the history of the Panama Canal and the former Canal Zone.

Observe the demographics, working conditions, and politics of the workers and the
construction process.

Engage in discussions about the meanings behind photographs.

Research the health, social, and economic conditions surrounding the creation of the
Panama Canal.

Take pictures and compare subjects with that of the Panama Canal construction
photographs.
Pre-visit
Pre- Visit Activities
1.) View and discuss photographs depicting life and work in the Canal Zone taken from
the Panama Canal Museum Collection at the University of Florida
2.) Watch videos of machinery at work
3.) Timeline activity
4.) Begin KWL activity
Introduce students to the country of Panama and The Canal through the University of
Florida Digital Collections in the links below:
People:
Building the Panama Canal was a massive project that attracted and affected many groups of
people. What was once a jungle soon became a long stretch of settlement called the Panama
Canal Zone, where the American workers, military personnel, and their families resided.
Alongside the Canal Zone are many islands, the most famous of which are the San Blas Islands,
where many of the indigenous Kuna people live.

Indigenous Kuna in San Blas
o Kuna woman: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI007294
o Two Kuna women: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI007298

Employees during the American construction period of the Panama Canal
o Culebra Bowling Team: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008111
o Arthur Lucchesi and wife at Gatun Lock Construction:
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI004663
o Parade of Afro Antillians: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI011782

Residents of the Canal Zone during the American Period
o An Interview with Marguerite Zumbado:
http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/01/33/73/00001/PCM_033_Marguerite_Zu
mbado_7-8-2011.mp3
o Colon market: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008754
o New Gold Commissary: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00023918
o Parents with kids crossing street on registration day:
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI006525
o Ceremony transfer of CZ to Panama at Miraflores Locks:
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00014746
Life in the Panama Canal Zone:
From its start in 1904, the Canal Zone quickly became a slice of the United States on the
southern end of Central America. Barracks style living quarters for construction workers soon
transitioned into apartments, single family houses, and hotels. With families and children came
schools and YMCAs. While the canal was being built, streets were also being paved. Stores
popped up, and the streets bustled with activity.

Panama Canal Map: http://www.geographicguide.com/pictures/maps/panama-canal-3.jpg
o What kind of geography does the Panama Canal Zone have?

Tivoli Hotel from R.R. Depot: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008102

Bowling Alleys, Y.M.C.A. Culebra, C.Z.: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00011400

Canal Zone Schools, Gorgona School For Whites: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI009124

Old Open Sewer Bolivar Street, Before Paving – Colon: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI009131

A Narrow street in Panama: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008141

Front Street and Panama R.R. yard: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00020272
Construction:
Building the Panama Canal was no easy task, and it required heavy, advanced machinery and
new technologies to complete the job. Steam shovels moved earth at incredible rates compared to
manual digging with shovels, and dynamite was instrumental to blowing a path through the land.
Giant cranes lifted construction material into positions that would be impossible to do by hand.
Ladders and scaffolding covered construction sites, where workers would continue their duty
despite the great heights.

Floating crane "Hercules": http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00013968

Upper Locks, Gatun: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00017879

Gatun Upper Locks: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00013966

South End of Gatun Upper Locks: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00016266

Culebra Completion of bottom pioneer cut: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI004504

Working on the Cut at Culebra: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI003291
Without steam shovels and dynamite, the cuts through land would have taken an impractically
long time instead of the ten years that it actually took.
Watch a video to see the machines and explosives used to shape the canal:

Steam shovel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjGIAe8zUj8

Dynamite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhh-0pc0QII
Timeline Activity
Prepare the students for the visit by filling out the provided timeline of the French and American
periods.
KWL Activity
Have the students fill out a KWL form in response to the photographs and videos that they have
seen.
1. In the “Know” section, students will write down what they already know about the
Panama Canal.
2. In the “What to Know” section, students will fill out what they would like to learn from
the visit. Save these forms for the post-visit activities.
3. They will fill out the last section as a reflection upon what they have learned.
During-visit
Virtual Field Trip Activities
1.) View and discuss photographs from the Panama Canal Museum Collection at the
University of Florida
a. Discuss photography and its purpose (both intended and unintended) as it
documented life and work surrounding the Panama Canal
Photography Discussion
Ask the students to describe what they see in the pictures in relation to what they learned before
the trip. Pique the students’ interest by encouraging them to point out any patterns, unusual
aspects, or personally significant details in each photo. Have the students discuss why these
details may be important while also explaining the significance of photography during the early20th century (The early flash photography cameras used dangerous, flammable methods to create
a flash. The equipment was rather heavy, and photographic processing was lengthy. Today’s
digital cameras take pictures instantly, whereas a century ago, one had to be skilled in the
technical aspects.)
Discussion Questions:

How are the subjects in the photograph shown? Are they posing or not? If so, why do you
think they are posed that way?
o Panama Canal Commissary: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI007246
o Large group of men and women seated indoors: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI006168

What sticks out to you in these photographs? What do you think is being shown? What
can you imagine might not be shown?
o Billiard Room, Y.M.C.A Culebra, C.Z.: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008155
o Ice Cream Parlor Y.M.C.A Culebra, C.Z.: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008156
o Boarding house proprietress and children: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008135
o One Family House: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008046
o 10-silver family apartment building: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI013875

How hard was it to take a photograph in 1904 to 1914? How expensive or timeconsuming do you think it was?

What is a foreground? What is a background? How can these two be important to a
photograph?
Does it matter who takes the picture? Why?
Historical Discussion
Discussion Questions:

Who worked on the Panama Canal?

What part of The Canal are they working on? What do you think their job is? How can
you tell?
o Gatun Upper Locks: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI003204
o Steamshovel Loading Rock, Culebra Cut: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00013964

Where are the workers in Panama?
o Photograph of men working in a jungle:
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00016795/00001?search=fever
o Man Burning Grass: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI003576/00001?search=mosquito
o Men burning grass in ditch near railroad tracks:
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI003610/00001?search=mosquito

The French period suffered from diseases such as malaria, yellow fever,
and dengue fever, which are transmitted by mosquitos. Working in the
tropics, as well as staying near standing water, exacerbated the disease
conditions. During the American period, the standing water was drained,
and knowledge about disease was more accurate.

How was the equipment being used? What did it do? How safe was machinery at that
time?
o Explosion in Progress: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008056
o Lidgerwood Unloader: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00016788
o Steam Shovel in Cut at Empire Flood: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI008036
o Steamshovel # 254 flooded by heavy rain in pioneer cut:
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/PCMI004502

Why was it important to build the canal?
Post-visit
Post Visit Activities
1.) Finish KWL Worksheets
2.) Class Discussion of geography or construction workers
3.) Photo Shoot Activity
KWL Worksheet
Students should complete the “Learned” section of their KWL worksheets at this time.
Class discussion:
Facilitate a class discussion on one of the two themes:
1. Geography of Panama

What physical features are there? What is the climate?

Why was Panama chosen? What other countries were considered and by whom?

What does the Canal do or allow? Why was this important? Think about today’s
transportation technology.
2. The workers of the canal

What diseases hindered the French from completing the canal?

How are these diseases transmitted and how can they be prevented?

What challenges did workers face while building the canal?

What were the identities of those who built the canal?
Photo shoot:
1. Each student will take a photo of a naturalistic or posed scene of the student’s choice
(There should be some kind of action behind the photo that the students can document,
such as a dog running after a ball, or a group of people at a special event. Students should
not use portraits or still-lives of inanimate objects, such a bowl of fruit on a table.)
2. Pair the students for discussion of each other’s photos
3. Have each pair interpret the other’s photo
4. The students will describe their partner’s photo content on the worksheet provided,
which they will swap after completing it
5. Each student will then review the results and discuss what his/her partner had right or
wrong.
6. Discuss these results with the students as a class. Is there really a “right” or “wrong” way
to interpret photographs?
7. Ask students:
a. What do you think this activity tells us about the photographs we looked at from
the Panama Canal?
b. Do you think we are interpreting them “correctly”?
c. How much do you think we might be missing?
d. Do you think we ever assign a meaning to a photograph that the photographer did
not intend?
e. What do you think this tells us about historical photographs in general?
Stories and Pictures:
1. Students will cut out a photograph from a newspaper at home and bring it to class. The
photograph should not be taken from an advertisement or comics and must be related to
the events of a news story.
2. Group the students in pairs.
3. Have students swap their clippings and ask them to interpret what is being shown and
think about why the other student may have selected this particular image. Have them
also consider what story might be connected to this photograph.
4. Students will then fill out the provided worksheet about what they believe is happening in
the clipping.
5. The students will then swap worksheets to check if their partner accurately predicted the
subject and story of the clipping.
6. Ask students:
a. What does this activity tell you about the photographs from the Panama Canal?
b. What can you tell about the setting by looking at the photograph? What clues lead
you to this?
c. What details in the photograph brought you to your guess about the story? Why
do you find these details important?
d. Do you think that the photographer meant to include what you pointed out in the
photographs? Do you think s/he included it by accident or on purpose?
e. Can style, personality, and/or the culture of the time be reflected in photographs?
f. How important is the backstory to these photographs? Compare to the
photographs we have seen from the Panama Canal.
g. Who do you think is the intended audience for this photograph? Is there anybody
you can think of who might find the photograph more interesting than you did?
h. After guessing what your partner’s photograph could be about and why they
brought it, what do you think about historical photographs in general?
Glossary
Foreground: what appears nearest to the observer and is often the subject of the photograph
Background: the scene or subject most away from the observer
Curriculum Standards
5th grade:

SS.5.A.1.1
o Use primary and secondary sources to understand history.

LAFS.5.RI.2.6
o Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important
similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
6th grade:

SS.6.W.1.5
o Describe the roles of historians and recognize varying historical interpretations
(historiography).

LAFS.6.SL.1.2
o Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue
under study.
7th grade:

SS.7.G.2.3
o Explain how major physical characteristics, natural resources, climate, and
absolute and relative location have influenced settlement, economies, and intergovernmental relations in North America.

LAFS.68.RH.1.2
o Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source;
provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or
opinions.
Know
Want to Know
Learned
What do you see in the
photograph?
What do you already know
that helps you see?
What questions do you have
about the photograph?
Table of Events
1881 French construction on the Panama Canal begins.
1894 French involvement with the Canal ends.
1903 The Canal Zone is established and U.S. involvement with the Canal begins.
1914 The Panama Canal is completed.
1929 The Great Depression begins.
1945 World War II ends.
1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated.
1969 Apollo 11 becomes the first NASA spaceflight mission to land humans on the Moon.
1977 The Torrijos-Carter Treaties are signed, promising Panama with control over the Canal after 1999.
1979 Complete U.S. control over the Canal Zone ends. Joint U.S.-Panamanian control begins.
1999 Control over the Panama Canal is transferred from the United States to Panama at midnight on New Year’s
Eve.
2001 Four terrorist attacks result in the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City and damage to the Pentagon.
2008 The election of Barack Obama, the first African American to become U.S. President.
Timeline of Events
1881
2008