Theodore Roosevelt, the Panama Lobby, and Senator John Tyler Morgan: The Battle for an Isthmian Canal, 1901–1904

Abstract

This chapter examines the background events that culminated in the acquisition of the Panama Canal Zone by President Theodore Roosevelt (TR) in 1903. Aided by the so-called Panama Lobby, which was led by Philippe Bunau-Varilla and William Nelson Cromwell, TR successfully battled Senator John Tyler Morgan, who had championed the construction of a canal through Nicaragua.

When Colombia refused to accept the terms offered by Roosevelt, he cooperated with a revolution in Panama that was spearheaded by Bunau-Varilla and Cromwell. Acting on behalf of the new government of Panama, which TR quickly recognized, Bunau-Varilla negotiated a treaty that granted the United States a long-term lease to the Panama Canal. Soon thereafter, construction of the Panama Canal began and, ten years later, in 1914, it was opened to the commerce of the world.

What factors were responsible for Roosevelt’s successful acquisition of the Panama Canal Zone? What qualities of statesmanship did he display—and lack—in achieving that objective?