The Backwater, Front and Center: The Perception of Economic Strategic Value Upon a Traditional Periphery

The Backwater, Front and Center: The Perception of Economic strategic value upon a traditional periphery My presentation is going to examine the emergent efforts in the 1820's to establish a trans-oceanic canal through the Central American peninsula. In my presentation I am going to look more at the actions of the traditional powers (notably the United States and Great Britain) vying for influence in this region as opposed to the reactions of those living in the region. I am interested in highlighting how the perception of economic value or advantage can orient the interests of a traditional power toward an area that was previously accorded little worth or interest. I also intend to include in my presentation a lesson plan (ideally for 9-12) whose main purpose is to study the effects that a completed inter-oceanic canal would have had on the patterns of trade in the 1820's. Electronic databases, like Americas Historical Newspapers, played a huge role in my current research and I intend to model how to use such sources to aid high school and early college level primary research.