The Spanish-American War helped create support for building the Panama Canal because option A) A canal would have helped U.S. ships get to the war more quickly. Cuba was seen by Spain as a province. In 1868 Cuba had gone into war with Spain, this was the Ten Years' War, which was subdued by the authorities a decade later. There was popular support for American intervention in the war. Peace negotiations ended with the sinking of U.S. Maine, and the U.S. went to war. A canal would have helped U.S. ships get to the war more quickly.