Volume 7, Number 4

The Role of the United States in Panama’s Journey towards Independence

  Authors

LaVerne M. Seales Soley, California Lutheran University, USA

  Abstract

Panama's geographic location as the "Crossroads of the Americas" has played a significant role in its history and journey to independence. Even after Panama's independence from Colombia, the construction and later operation of the Panama Canal had the power to keep the United States on the isthmus for almost one hundred years. This article attempts to chronicle Panama's path toward independence by briefly exploring Panama's history as a colony of Spain and as a province of Colombia. However, its focus is Panama's relationship with the United States, which proved to be the most complex and complicated at the international level. In addition, the circumstances of the signing of the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty and the unusual relationship that came with it are also focal points. The article concludes with the disputes stemming from the United States' jurisdiction in the Canal Zone that led to the signing of the TorrijosCarter Treaty and Panama achieving total sovereignty over its territory on December 31, 1999.

  Keywords

Canal Zone, Panama Canal, Torrijos- Carter Treaty.