HOW did the U.S. become involved with panama?

Question

i know why but how.....what tactics did they use, etc...

Answer 1

US knew that Panama Canal would be a great help for their trade. French started it, but many French died during this attempt because malaria, a disease spread quickly..
US soldiers dried the swamps, and cut off the tall grasses and killed the mosquitoes

Answer 2

the French had tried to dig a canal at Panama but failed.


20 years later a canal at Panama became vital to the US's growth and defense.

Panama had been part of Columbia for 500 years, but because it was separated from Columbia itself by impassable jungle didn't really feel like it was part of Columbia.

The US entered into negotiations with Columbia to build the canal.

The Colombians hemmed and hawed and fooled around with the deal.

While that was going on, a number of Panamanian patriots and US businessmen floated the idea in Washington that Panama might revolt break away from Columbia and then the US could deal with them.

No one ever said anything officially but there were a lot of backroom meetings, hints, winks, nudges.....

Panama declared independence.
The Colombian generals in Panama were either bought off or pushed aside.
The day of the revolution a US cruiser showed up off Panama City and off Colon on the Atlantic side.
Panama was recognized by the US

Three days later Panama signed a concession with the US to build the canal
US paid Panama 20 million....the largest transaction in US history to that point.
Panama had its independence and real money in the bank
The US had the Canal Zone and the right to dig
The Colombians have been pi$$ed with us ever since.

Google search Phillipe Buana-Varilla, a remarkable Frenchman who was an engineer on the French canal and one of the key plotters in the Panama revolt...the stuff he did would seem like a bad TV show filled with improbable occurrences and strange twists of fate , except it all actually happened.

and if you REALLY want to know and have a weekend or so, read David McCullough, "The Path Between the Seas"

Answer 3

hehe its funny to see people's answers. We were not a part of Colombia (you misspelled it) for 500 years! We were a part of Spain and then in 1821 we got independence from them and became part of Colombia until 1903 because we were scared that Spain would want us back and we were such a small nation.

US story with Panama has to do with the canal. People are right as to the French coming to Panama and bringing SNOW PLOWS to dig the canal in this tropical jungle. Of course they lost A LOT of $ and people died mostly because of the tropical disease and this country had no pluming or infrastructure.

So the French noticing what was going on sold the idea to the US to keep on building the canal (to get their stock $ back) but in order to do so Colombia had to approve it and they did not want to approve it. So Panama organized a movement to independence and the US was to support us.

How we actually won the independence had nothing to do with the US but more with a Colombian officer which had become fond of Panama. He controlled the railway for the Colombian soldiers not to be able to cross over to Panama City and by the time the US troops arrived we had already proclaimed our independence.

When we got our independence we were to sign an agreement with the US for them to recognize us as an independent country and them to come here and build the canal. We send this IDIOT called Bunau-Varilla (he was French and one of the canal's biggest stock owners) to the US because he knew how to speak English and the rest of the party would follow. He did not care for Panama all he wanted was to make money so he offered the US a deal they couldn't refuse the canal for ever and a strip of land on both sides of the canal for US use.

Bunau-Varilla told Panama that unless we accepted that deal that the US didn't propose that they would not support us as an independent nation.

So thats how the US got involved in Panama.

Answer 4

They had the trade and all that going on and the French started it but a lot of people died. The US finished it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_canal