In 1819 a treaty was signed giving the US all claims to the North American Pacific coast. In 1825, only six years after signing the treaty, America became involved in the isthmus region following its desire to increase trading and commercial enterprises. Needless to say, it was not long before they too realized the importance of a canal joining the Pacific to the Atlantic.
A group of New York businessmen, with the support of some Central American contacts, announced in 1826 that they would set up a canal company in an attempt to open trade routes to the East. It, in fact, came to nothing, but the idea of a canal company never died. For the next 20 years, the building of a canal across the isthmus became a major political and economic issue in the US, especially after gold was discovered in California.
