Panama: Political and Governmental History

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Panama Political and Governmental History

• Lauren Hiler

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Map of Panama
Inside Panama Tom Barry and John Lindsay-Poland
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• In 1500 thousands of Indians lived on the Isthmus
• Different tribes and dialects and no one chief
  ruled over the various tribes
• There was communal ownership of the land
• Villages specialized in cotton, salt, hammocks,
  corn, gold, and slaves
• Newcomers, upon realizing panamas riches,
  snatched their gold, ravished their women, and
  made them work as slaves

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Rodrigo Bastidas

• With the inspiration of Columbuss discovery he
  sailed around the new world with fellow explorer
  Vasco Nunez de Balboa
• Rodrigo de Bastidas founded the Isthmus in 1501
• After many troubles involving Bastidas to go back
  to Spain, he returned to Columbia but was
  assassinated by his men
• he refused to let them treat the Indians
  cruelly.

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• In 1502 on Columbuss fourth voyage they set up
  the first white settlement on mainland known as
  Puerto Bello or now Portobelo
• Didnt last long
• Was burned by local Indians
• Alonso de Ojeda governed the Tierra Firme or
  mainland in 1509
• meanwhile, King Ferdinand was too busy with
  domestic affairs to explore the Isthmus
• Enisco was a friend of Ojeda and was given
  authority of Panama after he died

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Vasco Nunez de Balboa

• Running from creditors, he hid on Eniscos ship
• They found a river and took the Indian village of
  Darien and renamed it Santa Maria de la Antigua
  del Darien in 1510
• First settlement to endure and be constituted by
  the crown
• Enciso was sent home to Spain where Balboa was
  left to rule as a mayor
• After Enisco was sent home he denounced Balboa to
  the king and was sent back to explain himself
• To win back favor he brought back pearls and gold
• Meanwhile King Ferdinand had already named
  Castilla del Oro (Pedrarias) the new governor
  known as the cruel and lost all the favor
  Balboa had one back.
• Balboa was beheaded

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This is an image of Balboa when he discovers the
South Sea in Panama
Panama Lost Parker, Matthew
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Pedrarias

• Pedrarias named Panama
• Pedrarias began building intercontinental and
  trans-isthmian routs like the Camino Real which
  links Panama City with Nombre de Dios (Portobelo)
• 60 of the gold entering Spain from the new world
  arrived from the system
• In 1520 he was superseded as governor by Pedro de
  los Rios after being denounced in Spain by
  Gonzalo Oviedo
• Retired in Nicaragua and was named governor in
  1527

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http//www.mol.co.jp/opensea

• For over 300 years, Panama was part of the
  Spanish Empire.
• On November 28, 1821 the Grito de la Villa de Los
  Santos occurred.
• The king said that if he could recapture the land
  that Spain had to earlier give, Murgeon could
  rule it.
• The viceroy of New Granada, Marshal Murgeon
• Colonel Jose de Fabrega was left in charge and
  after the declaration of their independence,
  Panama recognized him as their new head of
  government.
• Fabrega was a supporter of Panamas independence
  and set up an assembly of regions in Panama
• join a revolution to declare themselves
  independent.

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http//www.aceros-de-hispania.com

• Simon Bolivar, known as the Liberator, rejoiced
  at their rebellion and in 1826 he invited all
  nations in the hemisphere to a congress in Panama
  City
• Bolivar, seeing a progressive direction for
  Panama, invited them to join the New Granada
• Panama had joined Colombia, or New Granada, and
  regretted it.
• They were neglected and misgoverned
• So much so that in 1846 they allowed the United
  States to keep the Isthmus open for transit
• Panama was living in ignorance with no foreign
  commerce, little domestic trade, no newspapers,
  no public ambition, etc. until in 1848 a gold
  mine was founded

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• The United States asked Columbia if they could
  build a railroad and it was built by 1855 but
  Panamanian prosperity did not last long when in
  1868 trade decreased.
• Panama had tried to declare their independence
  three times, in 1830,1831, and 1840. each time,
  they had to rejoin Colombia.

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• In my thirty minute presentation I will be
  talking about
• U.S interference in Panama
• Panama Canal
• Military Coups and Militarism following
  colonialism
• Harmodio Arias Madrid
• Justo Dias Arosemema
• Arnulfo Arias
• National Patriotic Coalition
• Torrijos
• US invasion
• Present Day Panama

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Bibliographysources used for ten min presentation

• Biesanz, John, and Mavis Biesanz. The People of
  Panama. New York Columia UP, 1955. 1-418
• Parker, Matthew. Panama Fever. London
  Hutchinson, 2007. 1-444.

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• November 1840 Tomas Herrera, Superior Civil
  Chief, decalred its independence
• March 1841 Panama took the name of the Free State
  of the Isthmus
• Drawn up a constitutuion that could hold
  potential to rejoin New Grandada as a federal
  district
• June 1841, he became president

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(No Transcript)
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• Which president initiated US interest in building
  the Panama Canal?
• Whose son is now in the current role as
  president?
• When did Panama become independent from Colombia
• Why did Regan freeze Panamas assets?
• What year did Panama get control of the canal?
• Under what treaty did this result from?
• How many miles is it from the Atlantic Ocean to
  the Pacific ocean on the canal?

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Panama Canal
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• In 1879 -Ferdinand de Lesseps
• The project fell victim to disease, faulty
  design, and ultimately bankruptcy and was
  abandoned in 1889.

Diplomatie.com
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Canalmuseum.com
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• 1899 the French attempt at constructing the
  Panama Canal was seen to be a failure.
• When the French left, they left behind a
  considerable amount of machinery housing and a
  hospital.

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• By the turn of the twentieth century, the United
  States had become convinced that a canal should
  be built to link the two oceans
• When Panama rebelled against Colombia in 1903,
  Roosevelt deployed United States naval vessels to
  discourage the Colombian forces

Bbc.com
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• Time and mileage would be dramatically reduced
  when travelling from the Atlantic to the Pacific
  ocean or vice versa.
• For example, it would save a total of 18,000
  miles on a trip from New York to San Francisco.
• In 1899 the US Congress created an Isthmian Canal
  Commission to examine the possibilities of a
  Central American canal and to recommend a route.

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Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty

• November 18, 1903
• No Panamanian ever signed this treaty
• Caused conflict between the nations
• Student fight over the right of the Panamanian
  flag to be flown
• Known as Martyr's day

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Torrijos-Carter Treaties

• September 7, 1977
• Guaranteed that Panama would get control over the
  canal in 1999

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• The first step on the
• The first American steam shovel started work on
  the Culebra cut on 11th November 1904.
• It wasn't until June 1906 that the decision on
  type of canal was decided

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• http//www.metacafe.com/watch/1063460/through_pana
  ma_canal_in_75_seconds/

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• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vWiQU_LiWDL0

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Panama Canal Today

• The canal efficiency is still doing quite well
• Trade is lower than prior years due to other
  modes of transportation , it is just now
  beginning to rise
• They are selling the excess electricity produced
  by the dams now

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• Colonel Tomas Herrera, having declared Panamas
  independence from Colombia, had to rejoin soon
  after
• In 1846, Columbia signed a treaty with the

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• The whole time during the construction of the
  canal the conflict between panama and Colombia
  was raging.
• In November of 1903, the United States helped
  Panama take its first step to sovereignty.

Gipsymoth.org
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• From 1903-1968 Panama remained a republic
• In 1968, Omar Torrijos Herrera
• Although he ruled as a populist dictator,
  Torrijos Herrera is revered as a hero

Country-data.com
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• 1983, General Manuel Noriega
• Noriega's party lost the 1989 elections,
• In 1987 Regan froze Panamanian assets
• In December 1989, Noriega appointed himself
  dictator and formally declared war against the
  United States.
• Vatican staff finally released Noriega into U.S.
  custody.

clapso.wordpress.com
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• Arnulfo Arias
• Guillermo Endarra
• Ernesto Perez Balladares
• Mireya Moscoso

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• In 2004 Martin Torrijos, the son of former
  military dictator Omar Torrijos, became Panamas
  president. He currently remains in office.

Msnbc.com
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Present government constitutional democracy

• The president is also the head of state
• Serves one five year term
• Legislative power is in the head of government
  and the national assembly

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(No Transcript)
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• Which president initiated US interest in building
  the Panama Canal? Theodore Roosevelt
• Whose son is now in the current role as
  president? Omar Torrijos Herrera
• When did Panama become independent from Colombia?
  1903
• Why did Regan freeze Panamas assets? Because
  Noriega sponsored an attack on the US Embassy
• What year did Panama get control of the canal?
  1999
• Under what treaty did this result from? Torrijos
  Carter Treaty
• How many miles is it from the Atlantic Ocean to
  the Pacific ocean on the canal? 50 miles

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biblio

• Encyclopedia Britannica
• The People of Panama by John and Mavis Biesanz
• Panamas Canal by Mark Falcoff
• Panama Fever by Matthew Parker