Colombia refused to ratify the treaty giving the US the right to build the canal.
Explanation:
The real reason for the separation of Panama from Colombia is the Herrán Hay Treaty, signed in January 1903, which would serve as the basis for Hay-Bunau Varilla, signed on November 18 of that year. There was never unity between Panamanians and Colombians regarding that treaty. The treaty was rejected by the Colombian Congress in 1903, which produced the war of independence of Panama and the American intervention.
