The good Neighbor Policy, which reflected a major shift in Latin American Policy for the United States, has been seen in modern years as one of the most pivotal policies in maintaining constructive relationships in the hemisphere. While it affected every country in Central and South America, Panama is an interesting case because it represented intense American financial investment, and consequently influence in the Canal Zone. The aim of my internal assessment is to determine how the Good Neighbor Policy affected American and Panamanian policy in relation to the Panama Canal. I will research my investigation through various sources ranging in subject from the good neighbor policy itself to the history of US influence over the Panama Canal. In B I will discuss the origins and significance of the Good Neighbor Policy, US relations with Panama involving the Panama Canal before the good Neighbor Policy was adopted, and review the changes in relations that the Good Neighbor Policy inspired.
English: Worker on the Miraflores locks, Panama-Ca...
Panama Western Provinces Map
English: map of Panama Canal area before construct...I will analyze my findings in D and reach a conclusion about them in E.
B. Summary of the Evidence
Brief History of US Influence in Panama before the Good Neighbor Policy
US influence in Panama began even before canal construction when President Theodore Roosevelt assisted Panama in its quest for independence from Colombia in 1903 by strategically positioning US naval fleets along the Panamanian coastline in an effort to deter violence in the rebellion. In that same year, Panama granted the United States enormous amounts of control (not to mention land) in the "canal zone" via the Hay-Bunau-Varilla treaty. The US continued to practice wide spread authoritative power in the region, concerning themselves with maintaining the stability needed for construction and maintenance of the canal to run smoothly without much regard for the Panamanians as a people.
Origin of...