The correct answer is C) American territories now stretched from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and a canal now would make governing its new land easier.
The way that the outcome of the Spanish-American war helped lead to the building of the Panama Canal was that American territories now stretched from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and a canal now would make governing its new land easier.
Spain and the United States were at war in 1898, in what is known as the Spanish-American war. The United States defeated Spain and this ended the domination of Spain in the colonies of Latin America. Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, where Spain recognizes the Independence of Cuba and ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the U.S.