SEPARATION OF PANAMA FROM COLOMBIA: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The separation of Panama from Colombia took place on November 3, 1903 and its most immediate consequence was the creation of the Republic of Panama. The event took place after the end of the Thousand Day War, a warlike confrontation between Colombian liberals and conservatives.

The area of ​​the Isthmus of Panama had been part of Colombia, in any of its denominations, since its independence in 1821. Its status within the country had varied from department to federal state, depending on whether federalists or federalists were in the Colombian government. the centralists.

Source: Chiquidama

The causes of the separation are the subject of discussion by historians, depending on whether they are Colombian or Panamanian. For the latter, the fundamental reasons were that the central government did not attend to their needs, the aftermath of the Colombian civil war and the emergence of a nationalist sentiment.

For their part, Colombians point out that the main cause was the political maneuvers carried out by Americans at the expense of the construction of the canal that was to join the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Background

When the territory of the Isthmus of Panama became independent from the Spanish crown, at the end of 1821, it voluntarily joined Gran Colombia. This country, whose creation was promoted by Simón Bolívar, was made up of today's Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

Although Gran Colombia was not a federal state in the modern sense, its territories did have a certain autonomy in various aspects, such as economic policy.

First attempt to gain independence

Despite the fact that joining the Greater Colombia was, as has been pointed out, voluntary, not all Panamanians agreed. The first attempt at independence occurred in 1826, when Panama did not accept the constitution that the Bolivarians wanted to promulgate.

The main reason for this attempted separation was the damaging attitude of the Colombian Congress towards the mercantile companies of the isthmus. For this reason, the independence supporters tried to make Panama become protected by the United States and the United Kingdom.

The claim of the separatists was unsuccessful. However, similar movements emerged in other parts of Greater Colombia. The result was the emergence of Ecuador and Venezuela as independent nations.

Other attempts at separation

During the following years, the Panamanian territory experienced various administrative models depending on the type of government that existed in Bogotá.

When this was a centralist, it became the Department of the Isthmus, without any autonomy. If, on the contrary, the federalists ruled, Panama became a state within the federation.

Between 1830 and 1832, various attempts at separation were made, although without success at any time. Already in 1840, the territory was renamed the State of the Isthmus and, under the condition that it was in a federal system, it decided to remain attached to what was then New Granada.

Mallarino-Bidlack Treaty

Relations with the United States were another determining factor in the history of Colombia and, therefore, of Panama. In the second half of the 1940s, the Americans recognized New Granada's rights over Panamanian territory through the Mallarino-Bidlack Treaty.

A new attempt at separation, in the second half of the 19th century, ended when the United States troops supported the Colombians to defeat the separatists.

The return to centralism in Colombia in 1855 caused great discontent in Panama. Thus, its status returned to being that of a department within the Colombian Republic. The governor himself was elected from Bogotá, without the Panamanians having decision-making capacity.

Thousand Day War

The tension between conservatives (centralists) and liberals (federalists) within Colombia ended up leading to a bloody civil strife: the Thousand Day War. This started in 1899 and lasted 3 years.

Although the liberals had foreign support from Ecuador and Venezuela, it was the US intervention that ended up deciding victory for the conservative camp.

The Conservatives had enlisted the help of the United States, promising to hand over control of the canal to them when they defeated their enemies.

The same treaty that ended the Thousand Day War was signed aboard an American military ship, the Wisconsin, on October 24, 1902.

Although it was a conflict between Colombians, the effects of the war reached Panamanian territory, where numerous battles were located. Furthermore, given the majority liberal sympathies in Panama, the result of the war increased separatist impulses in the area.

Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

In addition to the events that occurred in both Colombia and Panama, there were international factors that led to the separation of both countries.

The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, signed between the United States and the United Kingdom in May 1901, delegitimized Colombia's sovereignty over the isthmus. The Colombian government tried to reverse this statement, although the US Congress was very hostile to its envoys.

On the other hand, the Senate, the US Upper House, approved, that same year, a very important resolution on the canal. Faced with other options that had been studied for construction, such as carrying it out in Nicaragua, the senators decided on Panama as the country that would house that infrastructure.

Likewise, the Americans approved to buy from the French company that owned the construction rights to keep them. In that resolution, the United States reserved, in perpetuity, a strip of land on both sides of the future canal.

Herrán-Hay Treaty

Events began to accelerate in early 1903. In January of that year, Colombia and the United States signed a new treaty, the Herrán-Hay, which was to settle the discussion on the canal. However, the Colombian Congress, on August 12, voted against ratifying it.

This rejection strengthened Panamanian supporters of separation and, more importantly, provided the United States with a reason to support them.

US support for the split was spearheaded by several banks, with Morgan leading the way. They were the ones who disbursed significant amounts of money to bribe some of the military to join the separatist cause.

While this was happening, a coup d'état had taken place in Panama in July 1903. The governor was deposed and the Colombian president, instead of punishing the coup plotters, replaced him with José Domingo de Obaldia, whom many considered a supporter of the separatists.

Causes

As noted above, the ultimate causes of Panama's separation vary according to historians. Colombians and Panamanians differ on the real reasons that led to this result.

For their part, neutral experts point out that it was a set of events that led to Panama ceasing to be part of Colombia.

Colombian Abandonment of Citizens of the Isthmus

The citizens of the isthmus shared the complaint about how the Colombian central government treated their region. During the 19th century, there was a feeling that Bogotá was only concerned with the construction of the canal and not with the real needs of the territory.

Among the areas of action that, according to Panamanians, were not served by the central government were education, health, transport infrastructure or public works. All these aspects, which were already neglected, worsened from 1886, when a centralist system was implemented in Colombia.

Liberal and federalist majority in Panama

The inhabitants of Panama had become part of Greater Colombia with the condition of maintaining a certain autonomy, in a state organization of a federal nature.

However, in Colombia governments of different kinds succeeded one another, which caused that, many times, centralism was imposed and Panama lost its autonomy. At the end of the 19th century, the governor himself was elected in Bogotá, without the Panamanians having an opinion.

United States and the canal

The construction of the canal and the competition between companies and countries to gain control of it were fundamental factors to explain the separation of Panama.

The project, which had been devised by the French, was halted when Ferdinand Lesseps's Universal Interoceanic Canal Company went bankrupt. The same happened with the company that continued with the project, the New Canal Company, created in 1894.

When the latter company failed, Panama found itself in the middle of a major economic crisis, also aggravated by the Thousand Day War.

At the end of the conflict, in 1902, the United States took the initiative to make the Canal a reality. First, they managed to eliminate French competition. Later, they set out to overcome Colombian reluctance in the face of US claims. The US offer did not convince the Colombian Congress, which voted against accepting it.

From that moment, there was a conjunction of the interests of Americans, French and Panamanians. To begin with, the US needed, for commercial and military reasons, that the canal be terminated. The French, for their part, wanted to recover the money invested up to that moment, especially the New Company.

Lastly, Panamanians saw the canal as their great economic opportunity. A motto, frequent at that time, indicated that the alternative was "canal or emigration."

Development and characteristics

In Panama, the partisans of separation began to maneuver to achieve their purpose. Thus, some politicians created a Revolutionary Board, which secretly began to plan the independence of the country. After achieving it, they intended to enter into negotiations with the US to build the canal.

This Board, whose most important member was José Agustín Arango, sent an emissary to the United States. The mission of this representative, Amador Guerrero, was to obtain help for the separation.

In addition, with money from American bankers, they got soldiers like Esteban Huertas, head of the Colombia Battalion assigned to the isthmus, to commit to supporting independence.

Beginning of the independence plan

The return of Amador Guerrero to Panama, in the last days of October 1903, disappointed the Revolutionary Junta a little. His envoy had not succeeded in getting anyone except Bunau Varilla, a shareholder in the New Company, to assure him of their support. Despite this, the conspirators decided to go ahead with their plan.

Colombian mobilization

Historians disagree about who spread a rumor that the Nicaraguans were trying to invade the isthmus area, but they do agree that this caused Colombia to displace the Tiradores Battalion, which was stationed in Barranquilla, to Panama.

The head of this detachment carried with him orders for Governor Obaldia and General Huertas to be replaced, since the Colombian government mistrusted them.

Faced with this movement of Colombian troops, the Revolutionary Junta proceeded to implement its plan. Thus, they sent a message to Bunau Varilla, who responded by promising the arrival of a US warship in the area. This gave the Board confidence that the US would support them.

Help from the railway company

Meanwhile, the Shooter Battalion reached the Panamanian city of Colón on November 3. In theory, from there they had to travel to Panama City, but they suffered a boycott of the railroad company, in American hands.

The only thing that the Colombian military could achieve was a transport for their bosses, while the soldiers had to remain in Colón.

When the Colombian officers reached the capital, they were immediately arrested by the conspirators.

Declaration of the separation of Panama

With the Colombian officers under arrest and the troops trapped in Colón, the Revolutionary Junta declared, on the same afternoon of November 3, the separation from Panama. The tranquility was absolute, without any armed confrontations.

Some Colombian ships were in front of the port of Panama, but they surrendered without resistance. The governor was removed and a Municipal Council was created, whose president was Demetrio H. Brid.

This Council declared independence, creating the Republic of Panama and Brid, on the 4th, was named the country's first president. He remained in that position until February 1904, when the National Constituent Convention appointed Manuel Amador Guerrero to replace him.

Consequences

The United States recognized the new Republic of Panama on November 13, 1903. Just a day later, France did. In the following weeks, fifteen more countries also recognized the new country.

Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty

With the creation of the new country, the blockade to which the construction of the infrastructure that had to unite the two oceans had been subjected ended. On November 6, the Panamanian provisional government had appointed Bunau Varilla as its representative to the Americans to negotiate the issue.

The result was the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty, which established US control of a strip 10 kilometers wide in the area where the canal was to be built.

Reaction in Colombia

A breakdown in the submarine cable that made communication between Colombia and Panama possible meant that news of the declaration of independence did not reach Bogotá until almost a month after it occurred, on December 6. It had to be the Colombian ambassador in Ecuador who communicated what happened to his government.

The Colombian government then considered several possible responses: trying to convince Panamanians to back down, approve the Herran-Hay Treaty that Congress had rejected, or even turn Panama City into the Colombian capital.

Finally, a delegation from Colombia met with Panamanians aboard a US ship. Panama replied negatively to all Colombian offers. The same happened with a second meeting.

" Sincere regret" from the US to Colombia

Colombia felt betrayed by the United States, although it did not break relations with that country.

A clause included in a draft agreement between the two nations caused considerable controversy. It included a "sincere regret" from the United States for the separation, something that felt quite bad in Colombia. For his part, Roosevelt refused to pay any financial compensation to the Colombians.

It was not until 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, that the United States took the step to normalize relations. For military reasons, the Americans did not want to have to worry about security on the newly opened canal. For this reason, they proceeded to ratify the Urrutia-Thompson Treaty, without the "sincere regret" tag.

Through this agreement, Colombia obtained 25 million dollars by recognizing Panama as an independent country.

References

1. Sagel, Mariela. Sincere regret. Obtained from laestrella.com.pa
2. Beluche, Olmedo. Separation from Panama: the unknown story. Retrieved from banrepcultural.org
3. Colombia.com. Separation from Panama. Obtained from colombia.com
4. Warner, Natalie. Panama's Separation from Colombia. Retrieved from coronadoconciergepanama.com
5. History.com Editors. Panama declares independence. Retrieved from history.com
6. The Guardian archive. Panama declares independence from Colombia. Retrieved from theguardian.com
7. United States Department of State. Building the Panama Canal, 1903–1914. Retrieved from history.state.gov
8. Dictionary of American History. Panama Revolution. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com