Why was the Hay-Banau-Varilla Treaty of 1903 so significant?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Hay-Banau-Varilla Treaty of 1903 was so significant because it laid the ground for the Panama Canal project.
Key Takeaway: President Theodore Roosevelt began the planning for a canal that would link the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to facilitate trade between Asia and the Eastern United States. Under the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, the United States was granted the ten-mile-wide Canal Zone. The construction of the Canal lasted for ten years and greatly increased American power until it was returned to Panama in 1999.

Why Was the Hay-Banau-Varilla Treaty of 1903 So Significant