| PinkMonkey Study Guide - American History
7.9 Panama Canal
The Colonies in Latin America made the U.S feel the need for a Canal through the Central American Isthmus. By the Hay-Paunceforte Treaty, the U.S acquired the sole authority over the Isthmus. This was in the 1850s. In 1902, the U.S got the right to the Panama route from a French company. The canal was to be built between Panama and Nicaragua. Panama was then under Columbia. Through the Treaty of Hay-Herran (1903), America tried to come to an agreement on the financial terms and rental of the site for the Canal in Panama. The Colombian Government rejected the terms offered by the Theodore Roosevelt Government. A few days later, there was a revolution in Panama, led by people who the American President knew would support his terms. So the U.S navy aided the rebels and later got approval for the site from the new Republic of Panama. The Canal was completed by 1914.
The Roosevelt Corollary
The Roosevelt Corollary was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine.
Most Latin American countries had defaulted in their debt repayment.
This caused several European creditors to set sail for the Latin
American ports regarding the payment. Fearing foreign intervention
in her Latin American Colonies, the President made a statement in
1904. This statement- called the Roosevelt Corollary announced that
since the Monroe Doctrine forbade European intervention in the Western
hemisphere, it was the responsibility of the U.S to intervene and
maintain order in these territorries. These sweeping powers that
America had assumed for itself drew flak both at home and outside.
The Voyage of the Battle Fleet
The tension over the Immigration issue caused a great furore in Japan. So virulent was the backlash in the Japanese press that the U.S. feared war with Japan. To show that the U.S was prepared for any eventuality Roosevelt sent an entire American battleship fleet around the world. The message intended through the battlefleet was loud and clear. This was evident from the warm welcome, the battle fleet received at the Japanese port.
The Alaska Boundary Controversy
The Boundary dispute between the U.S and Canada was rather old. In 1903, Secretary Hay was successful in drawing a agreement with the British which stated that ’Six impartial jurists of repute would meet in London and decide on the boundary by a majority vote.’ In the Tribunal, the U.S. appointed 3 members and the Crown in England appointed the other 3.
While the six-man tribunal met in London, the President Roosevelt declared that if the tribunal did not take an appropriate decision, he would send federal troops to occupy the disputed area. The decision of the Tribunal, finally went in favor of the U.S. Though Roosevelt’s methods were frowned upon, they proved to be successful.
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