When the world began to recognize the new republic
By: Daily Valdés
The separation of Panama from Colombia in the French press in 1903.
On November 3, 1903, the inhabitants of the Isthmus made the definitive decision to separate their territory from Colombia, giving rise to the birth of a new republic. This fact, which seemed impossible for the Colombian State, went against its perception of territorial unity. In fact, a treaty guaranteed the neutrality and sovereignty of Colombia over the Isthmus: the Mallarino-Bidlack Treaty of 1846, a commercial agreement that committed the United States to ensure that this region remained under Colombian control. However, what led to the creation of a new State in Colombian territory in 1903?
The separation of Panama from Colombia was the result of the confluence of various interests on November 3, 1903. For the Isthmus residents, the United States, and the Canal Company, Colombia represented an obstacle to the construction of the waterway, especially after its rejection of the Herrán-Hay Treaty. For the United States, this refusal was seen as an affront to its policy of dominance in the hemisphere, since without the canal it would not be able to consolidate its strategic military power in the region. The New Canal Company, aware that it would not be able to complete the work in the agreed time and fearing losing the concession to the Colombian State, saw in the American interests an opportunity to sell its shares for 40 million dollars. The Isthmus residents, for their part, since their annexation to Colombia had longed to modernize the transit route as a key to the prosperity of the region. As early as 1823, they requested the construction of a railroad, a project that was completed in 1855. Likewise, they saw in the construction of a canal the opportunity for progress for the Isthmus. Therefore, Colombia's refusal of the Herrán-Hay Treaty was unacceptable to all these actors.
To understand this event, it is essential to recognize that it was the Isthmusians who promoted the separation as a last resort in their search to modernize the transit route. Thus, the Panamanian State did not emerge solely through the construction of a canal, but in fulfillment of a historical mission that had defined the Isthmus since colonial times: to be the most efficient and competitive route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans of America.
News of the new republic quickly spread throughout the rest of the continent and beyond. One of the first reports of this event in the international press was the French publication La Vie Illustrée of November 20, 1903, which included photographs by Henri Manuel entitled: The Revolution of Panama in the City and the Coast. These images capture the revolutionaries in the streets, the damage caused by the bombing of the warship Bogotá—which had escaped from the fleet anchored in the port—and the minimal impact on the Chiriquí barracks. The bombing claimed the life of one foreign citizen. La Vie Illustrée del 20 de noviembre de 1903, la cual incluye fotografías de Henri Manuel tituladas: La Revolución de Panamá en la Ciudad y la Costa. Estas imágenes capturan a los revolucionarios en las calles, los daños causados por el bombardeo del buque de guerra Bogotá —que había escapado de la flota anclada en el puerto— y los impactos mínimos en el cuartel de Chiriquí. El bombardeo cobró la vida de un ciudadano extranjero.
The events in Colón were also decisive: the battleship Nashville Nashville and its troops prevented the soldiers of the Tiradores Battalion from forcing the Railroad to transport them to Panama City, forcing them to return to Colombia. These actions consolidated the separation on November 5, 1903.
Cheers to Panama on its 121st anniversary!
