Separation of Panama from Colombia
Encyclopedia
The Separation of Panama from Colombia was formalized on 3 November 1903 with the establishment of the Republic of Panama from the Republic of Colombia's Department of Panama
Department of Panama
The Isthmus Department or Department of Panama was one of the departments of Gran Colombia and later of the Republic of Colombia. It was created in 1824 and covered the territory of what is now the country of Panama and some territories north....

.

Prelude

After its independence from Spain
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

 on November 28, 1821 Panama became a part of the Republic of Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...

 which was then also composed by present countries of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

 and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

.

The political struggle between federalists
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...

 and centralists that followed independence from Spain resulted in a changing administrative and jurisdictional status for Panama. Under centralism Panama was established as the Department of the Isthmus and during the federalism as Sovereign State of Panama. Panama tried to gain separation during the federalist era, almost achieving it on a few different occasions; 1831; between 1840 and 1841 when a brief state was created and finally during the Thousand Days War
Thousand Days War
The Thousand Days' War , was a civil armed conflict in the newly created Republic of Colombia, between the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and its radical factions. In 1899 the ruling conservatives were accused of maintaining power through fraudulent elections...

 (1899–1902), one of the many armed struggles between the Liberal
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...

 and Conservative Parties
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...

, which devastated Colombia and Panama during the nineteenth century. This last civil war ended with the signature of the "Treaty of Wisconsin". However, the Liberal leader Victoriano Lorenzo
Victoriano Lorenzo
Victoriano Lorenzo is considered one of the great heroes of Panamanian history, although his story and motives are sometimes debated by different sectors in his homeland...

 refused to accept the terms of the agreement and was executed on May 15, 1903.

On July 25, 1903 the headquarters of the Panamanian newspaper "El Lápiz" were assaulted by orders of the military commander for Panama General José Vásquez Cobo brother of the then Colombian Ministry of War as a retaliation for the publication of a detailed article narrating the execution and protests in Panama. This event affected the trustiness of Panamanian liberals on the Conservative government based in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...

 who later joined the separatist movement.

In 1903 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 signed the Hay-Herran Treaty
Hay-Herran Treaty
The Hay–Herran Treaty was a treaty signed on January 22, 1903 between United States Secretary of State John M. Hay of the United States and Dr. Tomás Herrán of Colombia...

 to finalize the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 but the process was not achieved because the Colombian congress
Congress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.The Congress of Colombia consists of the 102-seat Senate , and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives ...

 did not pass the measure on August 12, 1903. The United States then moved to support the separatist movement in Panama to gain control over the remnants of the French attempt at building a canal.

Separation

Panamanian politician José Domingo De Obaldía
José Domingo de Obaldía
José Domingo de Obaldia Gallegos was President of Panama from October 1, 1908 to March 1, 1910 and Vice President in the administration of Manuel Amador....

 was selected to become the Governor of the Isthmus of Panama office that he had previously held and was supported by the separatist movements. Another Panamanian politician named José Agustín Arango
José Agustín Arango
José Agustín Arango was a Panamanian politician who was, together with Tomás Arias and Federico Boyd, a member of the provisional junta that governed Panama after its independence in 1903. He was the Chairman of the Provisional Government Junta from 4 November 1903 until 20 February 1904.-...

 began to plan the revolution and separation. The separatists wanted to negotiate the construction of the Panama canal directly with the United States due to the negativity of the Colombian government.

The separatist network was formed by Arango, Dr. Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero , was the first president of Panama from 20 February 1904 to 1 October 1908. He was a member of the Conservative Party....

, General Nicanor de Obarrio, Ricardo Arias, Federico Boyd
Federico Boyd
Federico Augusto Boyd López was acting President of Panama from October 1, 1910 to October 5, 1910. He belonged to the Liberal Party....

, Carlos Constantino Arosemena, Tomás Arias
Tomás Arias
Tomás Arias was a Panamanian politician and businessman who was, together with José Agustín Arango and Federico Boyd, a member of the provisional junta that governed Panama after its independence in 1903.Tomás Arias was the son of Ramon Arias and Manuela Avila...

, Manuel Espinosa Batista and others. Manuel Amador Guerrero was in charge of traveling to the United States to get support for the separatist plan; he also gained the support of important Panamanian liberal leaders and the support of another military commander, Esteban Huertas
Esteban Huertas
Esteban Huertas López was a Colombian and later Panamanian military commander.He was born in Boyacá, Colombia. When he was 8 years old he ran away from home to join the army. Fighting in the civil war, he won many medals. In 1900 he lost his left arm when he fired a cannon. It was replaced by a...

.

With a strong support the separatist movement set November 1903 as the time for the separation. However, rumors in Colombia spread but the information managed by the government of Colombia indicated that Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

 was planning to invade a region of northern Panama known as the Calovébora. The Government deployed troops from the Tiradores Battalion from Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...

, and instructed the commander to take over the functions of the Governor of Panama José Domingo de Obaldía
José Domingo de Obaldía
José Domingo de Obaldia Gallegos was President of Panama from October 1, 1908 to March 1, 1910 and Vice President in the administration of Manuel Amador....

 and General Esteban Huertas
Esteban Huertas
Esteban Huertas López was a Colombian and later Panamanian military commander.He was born in Boyacá, Colombia. When he was 8 years old he ran away from home to join the army. Fighting in the civil war, he won many medals. In 1900 he lost his left arm when he fired a cannon. It was replaced by a...

, who were not trusted by the government.

The Tiradores Battalion was led by Generals Juan Tovar and Ramón Amaya and arrived to the Panamanian city of Colón
Colón, Panama
Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....

 in the morning of November 3, 1903. The battalion suffered delays in its way to Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...

 caused by the complicity of the Panama Railway
Panama Railway
The Panama Canal Railway Company is a railway line that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across Panama in Central America. It is jointly owned by the Kansas City Southern Railway and Mi-Jack Products...

 authorities who sympathized with the separatist movement. Upon the arrival to Panama City troops were put under the command of Col. Eliseo Torres. General Esteban Huertas commander of the Colombia Battalion in Panama ordered the arrest of Tovar and his other officials.

The Colombian gunboat Bogotá fired shells upon Panama City the night of November 3 causing injuries and mortally wounding Mr. Wong Kong Yee of Hong Sang, China.

An American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 vessel, the USS Nashville
USS Nashville (PG-7)
USS Nashville , a gunboat, was the only ship of its class. It was the third ship of the United States Navy to hold the name Nashville....

, commanded by John Hubbard, who had also helped to delay the disembarkation of the Colombian troops in Colón, continued to interfere with their mission by alleging that the "neutrality" of the railway had to be respected.

With the huge suppression of the troops the Revolutionary Junta proceeded to declare the separation of the Isthmus and later the independence with the declaration of the Republic of Panama. A naval squadron in the Bay of Panama was captured without resistance. Demetrio H. Brid
Demetrio H. Brid
Demetrio Honorato Brid Lasso is considered the first de facto President of the Republic of Panama. He was a Conservative....

 the president of the Municipal Council of Panama became the de facto President of Panama appointing on November 4, 1903 a Provisional Government Junta that governed the country until February 1904 when the Constituent National Convention was established and elected Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero , was the first president of Panama from 20 February 1904 to 1 October 1908. He was a member of the Conservative Party....

 as first constitutional president. News of the separation of Panama from Colombia arrived to Bogotá on November 6, 1903 due to a problem with the submarine cables
Submarine communications cable
A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean....

.

Reactions

On November 13, 1903 the United States formally recognized the Republic of Panama (after recognizing it unofficially on November 6 and 7). France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 did the same on November 14, 1903 followed by other 15 countries. On November 18, 1903 the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...

 John Hay
John Hay
John Milton Hay was an American statesman, diplomat, author, journalist, and private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln.-Early life:...

 and Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla
Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla
Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla , commonly referred to as simply Philippe Bunau-Varilla and Monsignor Brun Varilla, was a French engineer and soldier...

 signed the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty
Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty
The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was a treaty signed on November 18, 1903, by the United States and Panama, that established the Panama Canal Zone and the subsequent construction of the Panama Canal...

. No Panamanians signed the treaty although Bunau-Varilla was present as the diplomatic representative of Panama (a role he had purchased through financial assistance to the rebels), despite the fact he had not lived in Panama for seventeen years before the incident, and he never returned. The treaty was later approved by the Panamanian government and the Senate of the United States.

The ambassador of Colombia in Ecuador Emiliano Isaza was informed of the situation in Panama but did not inform his government to prevent a revolt in Bogotá. The government of Colombia then sent a diplomatic mission to Panama in an effort to make them reconsider by suggesting an approval by the senate of Colombia if they reconsidered the Hay-Herran Treaty instead of the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty
Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty
The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was a treaty signed on November 18, 1903, by the United States and Panama, that established the Panama Canal Zone and the subsequent construction of the Panama Canal...

 and also proposed making Panama City the capital of Colombia.

The mission met aboard the ship with the Panamanian delegation formed by Constantino Arosemena, Tomás Arias
Tomás Arias
Tomás Arias was a Panamanian politician and businessman who was, together with José Agustín Arango and Federico Boyd, a member of the provisional junta that governed Panama after its independence in 1903.Tomás Arias was the son of Ramon Arias and Manuela Avila...

 and Eusebio A. Morales, which rejected all proposals. Colombia then sent later a delegation of prominent politicians and political figures; General Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes
Rafael Reyes Prieto was Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia .- Biographic data :...

, Pedro Nel Ospina
Pedro Nel Ospina
Pedro Nel Ospina Vázquez was a Colombian general and political figure. He served as president of Colombia between 1922 and 1926.- Biography:...

, Jorge Holguín
Jorge Holguín
Jorge Marcelo Holguín Mallarino was a Colombian politician and military officer, two time Acting President of Colombia for the periods between June, 1909 to August of the same year as interim president, and from November, 1921 to August, 1922...

 and Lucas Caballero who met with the same representative for Panama and Carlos Antonio Mendoza
Carlos Antonio Mendoza
Carlos Antonio Mendoza Soto was Panamanian politician who served as Second Vice President in the government of José Domingo de Obaldía and since death of First Vice President José Agustín Arango in 1909 he was first in line to the presidency. In this capacity Mendoza was acting President of Panama...

, Nicanor de Obarrio y Antonio Zubieta, this time aboard the United States ship USS Canada without reaching any consensus. Colombia recognized the sovereignty of Panama in 1921, only after the United States compensated Colombia with US$25 million dollars and a formal apology from US Congress for the intervention in the Panama - Colombia conflict.

External links

See: Mellander, Gustavo A.(1971) The United States in Panamanian Politics: The Intriguing Formative Years. Daville,Ill.:Interstate Publishers. OCLC 138568. Luis Angel Arango Library - Separation of Panama Demetrio H. Brid Presidente de facto de la República - 1903
  • Mellander, Gustavo A.; Nelly Maldonado Mellander (1999). Charles Edward Magoon: The Panama Years. Río Piedras, Puerto Rico: Editorial Plaza Mayor. ISBN 1-56328-155-4. OCLC 42970390.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK