The Panama Canal The prospect of cutting through Central America to join the Pacific and Atlantic oceans had been discussed since the middle of the 19th century. The failure of a French attempt had brought scandal and political disaster to the French Third Republic. The two primary questions surrounding such a massive project were ‘Who would build it? ’ and ‘Where, exactly, would it be built?’ The USA and United Kingdom had agreed to cooperate on the project, but by the time Roosevelt took office this had fallen out of favour in the USA and the McKinley administration had negotiated away this agreement. Where to locate this colossal project proved more complicated. The two leading contenders were Nicaragua and Panama.
In 1903, Congress and the President decided on the Panama option. The USA, however, had only purchased the rights to build the canal. It now had to acquire the land on which to build the canal and this would require negotiations with the Colombian government, the country that owned Panama. The US Secretary of State Hay negotiated that the USA would lease the land for 1 00 years, pay
The Colombian Senate rejected the treaty, favouring as it did US interests. Roosevelt was enraged at the nerve of the Colombian government, standing in the way of his idea of progress and civilization. Since speaking softly had not seemed to work, Roosevelt prepared the ‘Big Stick’. The fear that the USA might abandon the Panama option for the Nicaragua option drove the Panamanians to revolt against their Colombian overlords yet again. The fortuitous arrival of a US battleship and troops, a very real display of Roosevelt’s Big Stick foreign policy, prevented the Colombian government from crushing the revolt. The USA was only too happy to recognize the newly independent Panama, the government of which agreed to the same payment as had been promised to the Colombian government for a strip of land 10 miles (16 kilometres) wide . When the canal opened in 1914, North Americans saw it as a testament to their ingenuity, hard work and industry - a crowning achievement of the Progressive Era. To others in the Americas, and indeed the world, it was another example of imperialism backed by Western technological advances. It also meant that the USA now controlled one of the most important waterways in the world. It needed to secure that ownership to achieve further control of the Caribbean.
In the Americas Carter’s policies were focused on human rights and the Panama Canal. In November 1903 , the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty gave the USA the right to build a canal in Panama that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Additionally, the USA would lease the land from Panama in perpetuity for
In September 1977 Jimmy Carter and Panamanian President Omar Torrijos signed two treaties that return e d the land and the canal to Panama . According to the terms of one treaty, Panama took control of the Panama Canal on 31 December 1999 , with joint protection, management and defence in the interim period. The second treaty emphasized the neutrality of the canal in times of peace and war, requiring that it remain open to all vessels of all countries.
Panama’s leader Noriega
Pana