. He firmly believed in expanding American power in the
world. To do this, he wanted a strong navy. And he wanted a way for the
navy to sail quickly between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Roosevelt
decided to build that waterway.
For many years, people had dreamed of building a canal across
central America to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The most likely
place was at the thinnest point of land. Another possible place
was to the north. President Roosevelt appointed a committee
to decide which place would be better.
Engineers said it would cost less to complete a canal that had
been started in the eighteen eighties in Panama. But the United States
would have to buy the land and building rights from a French company.
The price was high.
The House of Representatives quickly passed a bill to build the
Nicaragua canal. Then the French company reduced its price for the land
and building rights in Panama. It decided some money was better than no
money at all.
President Roosevelt was pleased. He gave his support to the
Panama plan. When the Senate began debate, however, it appeared the
Nicaragua plan would win.
At that time, Panama was a state of Colombia. Canal negotiations
between America and Colombia did not go smoothly. After nine months, the
United States threatened to end the talks and begin negotiations with
Nicaragua. The threat worked.
In January, nineteen-oh-three, Colombia signed a treaty to permit
the United States to build the Panama Canal. The treaty gave the United
States a canal zone. This was a piece of land ten kilometers wide
across Panama. The United States could use the canal zone for one
hundred years.Â
The United States Senate passed the treaty within two months. The
Colombian Senate rejected it. The Colombian government demanded more
money.
President Roosevelt was furious. He saw the issue in terms of
world politics...not simply Colombia's sovereignty. He said: "I do not
think Colombia should be permitted to bar permanently one of the future
highways of civilization." Roosevelt was ready to take over Panama to
build the canal.
That was not necessary. A revolt was being planned in Panama to
gain independence from Colombia. The United States made no promises to
support the rebels. But it wanted the rebels to succeed.
Under an old treaty, Colombia had given the United States the
right to prevent interference with travel across Panama. Now, the United
States used the old treaty to prevent interference from Colombian
troops. Several American warships were sent to Panama.
The two sides reached agreement quickly. The treaty was almost
the same as the one the Colombian Senate had rejected earlier. This
time, however, the canal zone would be sixteen kilometers wide, instead
of ten. And the United States would get permanent control of the canal
zone.
The treaty was signed on November eighteenth, nineteen-oh-three.
That was just fifteen days after Panama declared its independence.
Colombia protested. It said the United States had acted illegally
in Panama. Many American citizens protested, too. They called President
Roosevelt a pirate. They said he had acted shamefully. Some members of
Congress questioned the administration's deal with the French canal
company in Panama. Several investigations examined the deal.
Theodore Roosevelt did not care. He was proud of his success in
getting the canal started. He said: "I took the canal zone and let
Congress debate. And while the debate goes on...so does work on the
canal."
It took ten years for the United States to complete the Panama
Canal. The first ship passed through it in August, nineteen fourteen.
In that same year, the United States signed an agreement with
Colombia. The agreement expressed America's regret for its part in the
Panamanian revolution. And it provided a payment of twenty-five million
dollars to Colombia. Theodore Roosevelt was no longer president when the
agreement was signed. But he still had many friends in the Senate. He
got them to reject it.
After Roosevelt's death, the United States signed another
agreement with Colombia. The new agreement included the payment of
twenty-five million dollars. It did not include the statement of regret.
The Senate approved the new agreement.
The issue of America's involvement in Panama caused much
bitterness in other countries of Latin America. Some did not feel safe
from American interference. President Roosevelt said the United States
would not interfere with any nation that kept order and paid what it
owed.
Roosevelt was worried because some Latin American countries were
having difficulty re-paying loans from European banks. He did not want
the issue of non-payment used as an excuse for European countries to
seize new territory in the western hemisphere.
Roosevelt said the United States was responsible for making sure
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