Towards the end of the 19th century, technological advances and commercial pressures were such that the construction of a canal became a viable proposition. A first attempt by France failed, but it was possible to make a first excavation. After this failure, the Herrán-Hay Treaty was signed, between the Colombian and American governments, for the purpose of building a transoceanic canal in Panama, which at that time was part of Colombia. However, the treaty was rejected by the Colombian Senate, a situation that pushed a group of Panamanians, led by José Agustín Arango, to establish a separatist movement that would allow Panamanians to negotiate directly a treaty for the construction of the canal with the United States. . The separation of Panama from Colombia, took place on November 3, 1903, with support from the United States. The aspirations of President Theodore Roosevelt and the Panamanian elite to build a canal in Panama, were formalized with the signing of the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty, which allowed to execute the engineering work, inaugurated and opened to maritime traffic on August 15, 1914
In foreign policy, Theodore Roosevelt advocated American expansionism, moving to control Spanish possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. He instigated a revolt in Panama to get the separation of that country that had previously joined the Gran Colombia in 1822 and decades later became an autonomous department of Colombia. The objective of this insurrection was to build the canal and that it would be under the control of the United States. Roosevelt, a fervent supporter of the Navy, believed that the passage through the Isthmus of Panama was essential to create a strong and cohesive marina.
