Panama: Crossroads of Empires · Episode 12 of 24 · 21 min
Martyrs' Day 1964: The Flag That Doomed the Canal Zone — An Eyewitness
On January 9, 1964, a dispute over which flag could fly at a Canal Zone high school led to three days of rioting, about two dozen Panamanian and four U.S. soldier deaths, and a break in relations. Told through the record and a firsthand account, it was the day the United States first accepted it would have to give the canal back.
Who's who
- Ascanio Arosemena19-year-old student, first of Panama's martyrs
- Roberto ChiariPanamanian President who broke relations with the U.S.
- Lyndon JohnsonU.S. President who committed to negotiate a new treaty
- John F. Kennedy+4 more episodesAgreed in 1963 that both flags should fly at non-military sites
Where it happens
- Balboa High School, Canal Zone+1 more episodeWhere students raised the U.S. flag alone
- Avenue of the Martyrs, PanamaRenamed Fourth of July Avenue after the riots
- Ancon Hill, Canal ZoneVantage point as gunfire began
- Panama City, Panama+6 more episodesSource of the marching students
Timeline
- 1963Kennedy agrees both flags should fly together at non-military sites
- January 7, 1964Zonian students raise the U.S. flag alone at Balboa High
- January 9, 1964About 200 Panamanian students march in; their flag is torn; riots begin
- January 9-12, 1964Roughly 22 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers killed
- April 1964Chiari restores relations; the U.S. agrees to discuss a new treaty
Still debated
The death toll is about 22 Panamanians and 4 U.S. soldiers, but a definitive count may never be settled. U.S. and Panamanian accounts diverge sharply on who fired first and whether the force was proportionate. Debate persists over how spontaneous the protest was.
← PreviousThe Canal Zone: A Country Cut in Two, and the U-Boats Off ColónNext →Torrijos: How a General Talked America Into Giving the Canal Back
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