Panama+Revolution++American+Imperialism+1903


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 * || The Panama Revolution 1903 (American Imperialism)
 * || The Panama Revolution 1903 (American Imperialism)

"Man the ships, load your firearms and keep your munitions close!" A massive fleet of U.S. battle ships, fully prepared for all out war sailed towards [|Panama] city with thousands of Panamanian rebels at their side. They advanced on a Colombian squadron headed for the Capital of Panama, Panama City. The U.S. was ready to take down any enemy in its way of retrieving the [|Isthmus]. "For Panama, For Freedom!" was heard thru ought the large mass of Panamanian railroad workers and farmers. Just the sight of the army that had gathered to fight a Colombian squadron with a fleet of U.S. warships at its back was terrifying. The Columbian's knelt at the ground in front of them and left Panama without a drop of blood being spilled. November 13 1903 was a very important day for the country of Panama. It was the day they gained their freedom, or did they? In the late 1800's the United States was thriving off of [|imperialism]. Starting in the 1850's, the U.S. was interested in the [|acquisition] of Cuba and it's many strategic seaports. This failed attempt at imperialism only urged the U.S. to obtain more land. The U.S. found themselves in The [|Spanish American War] in the late 1800's. The victory for America proved their military dominance, especially from their navy. In 1899 the U.S. set its eyes on Panama. At that time the Panama territory under the control of Colombia wanted its freedom and to be its own country. The U.S. seized the opportunity to help, but were they really helping? Obviously they weren't. A fact buried among the primary research topics of the late 1800's is that the U.S. was in major debt. Starting in the revolutionary war, the U.S. bought supplies from France causing a small debt. When left alone for decades, the debt built up when the U.S. borrowed supplies here and there. In the late 1800's U.S. debt was at an all time high. When one needs resources desperately, they result to taking it. This is why the abundant U.S. debt during the 1800-1925 gap of time also related to the abundant amount of U.S. imperialism. In Panama, the U.S. exploited them for their strategical location in relation to the rest of the world, and their vast open lands full of rich and fertile soil. The Panama Canal was a great success for the U.S. and it helped all of the world's trade routes, but although the U.S. helped the Panamanian rebels gain their freedom in 1903, their imperialistic drive is what really urged them to set foot in the territory and eventually make a profit off of a Canal as well as an excuse for removing [|French influence in Central America] and replace it with their own. The late 1800's was a time of immense growth for America. Economically [|entrepreneurs] were sprouting up everywhere, society was growing as larger cities began to take shape and imperialism was at its peak. As France and Britain were expanding their borders from Europe into Africa and southern Asia, the U.S. felt like they were missing out on the race for land. By 1870 America had bought Alaska from Russia for 3 million dollars, but later in the century the U.S. had its eye set on Latin American countries and their Spanish rulers. Struggling to take control of the many Central American countries and parts of the Philippines in The Spanish American War, the U.S. suffered many casualties but not nearly as many as the Spanish. The Spanish American war was a great success for the U.S. proving their military dominance in the world. The U.S. knew they wouldn't be able to [|overtake] the many islands in the Gulf of Mexico without a powerful naval force. Shipyards began the task of constructing frigates to send south into the gulf. A large fleet of U.S. ships in the Gulf needed shelter during the hurricane season. With Cuban support for the U.S. because of so called freedom promises, Guantanamo bay, which had a great harbor was chosen. In 1898, the U.S. invaded Guantanamo successfully landing marines on Spanish soil. The Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3, 1898, was the largest naval engagement of the Spanish American War and resulted in the destruction of the Spanish Caribbean Squadron. By destroying the largest Spanish naval squadron in the Gulf of Mexico and other naval victories thru ought the southern Atlantic and Eastern pacific, the U.S. proved its naval dominance. Born in New York, Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. Known for his rough personality as a "Cowboy", Teddy was very interested in American growth beyond its borders. From the beginning of his administration, he sought to remove French influence in Latin America and replace it with his own. In the year 1900 Teddy realized that building a canal somewhere within the thin bridge of land or 'Isthmus' in Central America would strengthen trade internationally thus strengthening the U.S.'s economy. Cutting down sailing time from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and Visa Versa would be a huge accomplishment for the whole world. He also realized that any ship that passed his Canal would have to pay a toll to get through. After long hours of studying maps of Central American countries, Roosevelt realized that there were 2 possible locations for the construction of this canal, Panama and Nicaragua. In previous years, the French tried to construct a canal in panama, but eventually failed because of the many diseases the jungle brought to laborers. Roosevelt made the decision to continue the already started canal in Panama. He knew that this young territory controlled by Colombia would be easily persuaded to accept any terms of a possible construction project, and with confidence in his dominant naval fleet, any opposition would be brought to their knees or killed if necessary. At first the Colombian government would not allow the U.S. to build a canal in the district of Panama, but eventually the Colombian government leased a 100 year 10 km wide area of land to the U.S. This was called the Hay-Herran treaty named after the Colombian government official who signed it. By 1903, the course of Colombian optimism of this new project changed to opposing the treaty signed by its government. The young district of Panama finally saw an opportunity to rebel against their Colombian rulers with the help from the U.S. who was clearly angered by the news of a not so optimistic Colombian people. The U.S. joined sides immediately with the Panamanian rebel group called the Revolutionary Junta lead by Jose Augustin Arango, a Panamanian railroad worker eager for freedom from Columbia. Teddy only offered to help if the leases of land promised by Columbia still remain valid. The young Panamanian government was easily persuaded and was happy to oblige, although the Hey Herran treaty was renamed as the Hay Bunau-Varilla treaty. At this time, the French had abandoned all hope in the possible construction of a canal in Panama, although their influence in the territory was present. As mentioned earlier, Roosevelt had his mind set on eliminating French influence in Latin American countries once and for all. The new operation in Panama seemed like a mission to kick France out as well as establish a new government. With some extra funding from Philippe Bunau-Varilla, a French nationalist, the U.S. and the Panamanian Junta rebels stopped an advancing Columbian attack on Panama City. Hundreds of Colombian prisoners of war were taken hostage by U.S. and kept on battle ships in the Gulf of Mexico. Roosevelt recognized the new Panamanian Junta as the de facto government on November 6, 1903. 5 days later Bunau-Varilla wrote the Panamanian declaration of independence. The rights granted to the United States in the so-called Hay Bunau -Varilla Treaty were extensive. "They included, along with the previous terms, a grant in perpetuity of the use, occupation, and control of a sixteen-kilometer wide strip of land and extensions of three miles into the sea from each terminal for the construction, maintenance, operation, sanitation, and protection of an isthmian canal." If there was any other land needed by the U.S. for construction, they were also entitled to it. It seemed like a win win situation. Roosevelt ridded Panama of French influence, stopped the aggressing Columbians, had the rights to construct his lucrative canal, and better yet, Panama was now it's own country with a constitution, but were relations between the U.S. and Panama on good terms? As a matter of fact Panamanians were very angered by the terms of the Hay Bunau -Varilla treaty. Many thought the U.S. received too much and the Panamanians lost too much. The conditions of the treaty were even altered by the U.S. to better suit them. It was originally a 25 year 5 km land grant, but quickly changed to a 100 year 10 km grant. In the original treaty, nowhere did it mention that the U.S. could use any other land needed for construction outside of that which was granted to them. Roosevelt made it apparent that this must be added in case of an error in planning, but did he really need that extra land for a possible error? The answer is no. Once the U.S. had eliminated French influence, they felt that nothing was stopping them from taking over and exploiting the countries economic possibilities and strategical location on the map. August 15, 1914 the Panama Canal was open for use by worldwide sea traffic. The world stood still as the first ship passed through the new sea highway. It was called the Ancon, a U.S. owned trade ship carrying 10,00 tons register to the orient. Leaving the docks at 7:00 am and entering the locks at 9:00 am, "Ancon officers, men and women were busy giving the ship another scrub..." This would certainly be the most exiting day of their lives, being the first to enter one of mans greatest accomplishments, but were the Panamanians as optimistic? The new canal may have brought joy to the rest of the world, but panama in many ways was upset by it. It brought it much more unwanted traffic to the country. The once peaceful nation known for its beautiful forests and wide open farming fields, in many ways turned into a bustling industrialized territory with constant unwanted traffic interrupting the lives of many. Beginning in the 1990's, the Canal began to draw tourists from all parts of the world. On average, 1.5 million tourists visited the Canal every, most of which were U.S. military relatives. Not only does the Canal pull in people, an average of 276 cruise ships pass by Panama every year. Although this helps the Panamanian economy by bringing in $300 million to panama every year, it also brings in a lot unwanted attention, and extra garbage that is not needed. It basically transformed the country from its original shape to a whole different one. Another thing that the Canal did to Panama was not only bringing in tourists, but also more permanent residents. This is the reason many poor cramped cities in northern panama are there today. In 1970, the nations population was 1.5 million, and by 1990 there were 2.2 million permanent residents, most of which have jobs such as selling homegrown fruit to tourists who pass by the canal on a daily basis, and other sales regarding tourism. According to the Hay-Herran treaty, the U.S. had to give the rights to Panama in year 2000. Surprisingly, this helped the U.S. in many ways. It was costing them more to run the canal every year than they were making money off of it. When Panama received their prized possession for years and years, they actually managed it better than the U.S. ever had. More Panamanians were also hired to work at the canal once the U.S. had left. Over 10,000 laborers work there presently. With jobs like supervisors, mechanics and even janitors, employment rate in Panama soared. Along with a higher employment rate, the Canal was and is being run more efficiently. In 1996-1997, it would take a ship an average of 32 hours to pass thru the Canal, but today it takes ships below 24 hours. The number of accidents also went down. In 2001 and 2002, there were 17 accidents a year, the best safety record in the history of the Canal. This is because of the workers stationed at the Canal. A self owned Canal was the thing Panama needed all along. The outcome of the U.S. involvement in the Panama revolution seemed like the U.S. was a true helping hand who got a young country up on it's feet, but the truth is they only exploited a young country who was easily persuaded to do anything. In the early 1900's, the canal was a new great advancement and many ships used it. Every time it was operated, the U.S. would receive some odd dollars. Although the U.S. was in better shape economically at that time than the present day, they still had a bit of a debt. The operation of the Canal got the U.S. some seriously needed cash. The operation destroyed miles and miles of dense jungle in Panama and rearranged the whole country. The U.S. obviously didn't care about these losses, just as long as they received their slice of the pie. They could care less of the suffering they caused other countries. The U.S. was an Imperialistic animal during the turn of the century, and the Panama revolution only added to that fact.

Bob Cullen, “A Man, A Plan, A Canal: Panama Rises.” Smithsonian March 2004: 44-49. - This article taken from the Smithsonian magazine was proven to be useful in my research. It gave a lot of information on the construction of the Canal. It also explained the aftermath of the Canal and how it is run in the present day.

"Colombia, Canal Controversy with." Dictionary of American History. 7 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC - This website article gave mostly vague background information on American Imperialism during the turn of the century. It also explained some of the treaties that were made in the process of the construction of the Canal. There was also extensive information on the main people involved in those treaties.

Dolan F. Edward,Panama and the United States. Harper Collins, 1996 - I found this book By Edward Dolan in the school library. It explained a lot about the country Panama itself. The way their economy was run and social classes. It also explained the landscape with provided maps. There was also a lot of information on the relationship between America and Panama before and after the revolution.

"Gunboat Diplomacy, 1776-1992." Encyclopedia of the American Military. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1994. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.  - This website article was by far the best thing that I stumbled across in my research. It provided me with the entire story of the Panama revolution from beginning to end. It gave great information on the people involved and the crucial events. It also focused on the strength of the American navy and the help that it gave to the Panamanians during their revolution.

"Imperialism (Possession of Colonies) Issue." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 467-469. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Greenwich High School. 6 Mar. 2008 http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=s0579 - This website article was based solely on President Roosevelt and his impericalistic drive. It gave some background information on Roosevelt like his birthday, hometown and his views on central America and it’s possible benefits in location.

National Debt. The Daily News Almanac and Year-Book 1926. Chicago: Chicago Daily News Company, 1925, p. 333. 3 April 2008 http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=435. - This is a webiste article that is short and sweet. It shows a chart regarding the debt that the U.S. was in from 1800-1925. The three rows were Year, Total and Per Capita.

“Panama Revolution” Farnsworth, David N., and James W. McKenney. U.S.-Panama Relations, 1903–1978: A Study in Linkage Politics. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1983. http://www.answers.com/topic/panama-revolution - This website article gave some additional information on the Panama revolution. One thing I did gain from this website was specific times and dates. It had many specific times. It also had many of the key figures in the revolution as did some of the other sites that I researched.

“1903: Revolution in Panama: IN OUR PAGES: 100, 75 AND 50 YEARS AGO” Herald Tribune. 5 November, 2003 http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/11/05/edold_ed3__1.php - This newspaper article taken from the Herald Tribune was yet another that provided information on the Panama revolution. It specified how many Colombians were taken as prisoners of war by the U.S. and Panama. It also gave the specific time that the isthmus was handed over to the U.S.

“The 1903 Treaty And Qualified Independence” Google.com, U.S. Library Of Congress.  - This website article was a whole over view of the events that took place on the day of the Panama revolution. They were in order of the times that they happened. It was a very elaborate article. There was a full page of writing. ||  ||
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