Theodore Roosevelt and the Panama Canal In 1901, the assassination of William McKinley
thrust Vice President Theodore Roosevelt into the role of president of an emerging power.
Roosevelt, unwilling to allow European nations to dominate international political and economic
affairs, was determined to make the United States an even more powerful force on the
world stage.
In 1905, building on the achievements of the Open Door notes, Roosevelt managed to mediate
a peace negotiation between Japan and Russia.
The two nations had been fighting for control of possessions in Manchuria and Korea, and
the successful negotiations won Roosevelt the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.
As Roosevelt's presidency continued on, America's role in international affairs continued to
grow.
France, Great Britain, and the United States had all envisioned a world in which a canal
could provide a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
As early as 1850, Great Britain and the United States had agreed to share operating rights
of such a canal if it could be built.
However, in 1901, Britain granted exclusive rights of such a canal to the US.
In the late 1800s, France had attempted to build a canal in Panama, but their efforts
had failed.
In 1903, President Roosevelt and Congress purchased the rights to this Panama route
for $40 million.
Roosevelt saw the completion of a canal in Panama as a military and economic necessity
for the US, and he was determined to make it happen.
Panama, at the time, was controlled by neighboring Colombia.
When negotiations with Colombia to build the canal failed, Roosevelt worked closely with
French officials to orchestrate a revolution in Panama.
When the fight for Panamanian independence broke out, Roosevelt sent Marines and nearly
a dozen warships to Panama to secure control of the territory in the Isthmus of Panama.
Fifteen days later, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed with Panama, granting the
US control of the Canal Zone area.
The US agreed to pay Panama $10 million, plus an annual rent of $250,000 for control the
area.
Construction of the canal began in 1904, and the completion of the project remains one
of the world's greatest engineering feats.
More than 43,400 workers battled diseases such as malaria and yellow fever, unfavorable
terrain, hot, humid weather, and torrential rainfall.
Work was not completed until 1913, and some 5,600 workers lost their lives due to accidents
and disease.
The total cost for building the canal was $380 million.
The canal opened on August 15, 1914, and more than 1,000 ships passed through during the
first year of operation.
However, US efforts in helping to stir up the rebellion in Panama, along with aggressive
naval actions in the area, greatly damaged America's image in Latin America.
Resentment of the United States would simmer in the region for decades to come.