Panama: Crossroads of Empires · Episode 8 of 24 · 18 min
How the U.S. Manufactured Panama in 1903 — a Treaty No Panamanian Signed
Colombia rejected a canal treaty in 1903, and Theodore Roosevelt's government backed a revolution instead. A French engineer, a $100,000 payment and the USS Nashville produced a new country in days, along with a treaty no Panamanian negotiated. The episode weighs genuine Panamanian separatism against American and French engineering of the outcome.
Who's who
- Theodore Roosevelt+14 more episodesU.S. President who wanted the canal; later boasted he took the isthmus
- John HayU.S. Secretary of State; co-signer of two treaties
- Philippe Bunau-Varilla+2 more episodesFrench engineer who organized the revolt and signed the treaty for Panama
- Manuel Amador GuerreroLeader of the independence movement; Panama's first president
- Federico BoydPanamanian delegate who reached Washington too late
- S. I. HayakawaSenator who quipped America 'stole it fair and square'
Where it happens
- Colón, Panama+2 more episodesUSS Nashville blocked Colombian troops here
- Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New YorkBunau-Varilla and Amador struck their deal
- Washington, D.C.+31 more episodesTreaty signed two hours before Panama's delegation arrived
- Canal Zone, Panama+5 more episodesTen-mile strip granted to the U.S. in perpetuity
Timeline
- January 1903Hay-Herrán Treaty signed with Colombia
- August 1903Colombian Senate rejects the treaty
- November 2-3, 1903USS Nashville blocks Colombian troops; Panama declares independence
- November 18, 1903Hay and Bunau-Varilla sign the canal treaty
- December 1903Panamanian junta ratifies without changes
- 1976-1978Hayakawa makes his quip, then votes to return the canal
Still debated
Historians argue whether 1903 was genuine independence or U.S.-engineered secession; both a century-old separatist tradition and American naval power and French financing played a part. The revolt is usually called bloodless, though a Colombian gunboat's shelling killed a few people.
← PreviousThe French Panama Canal: How the Hero of Suez Buried 22,000 PeopleNext →Conquering the Jungle: How a Doctor Nobody Believed Won the Panama Canal
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