<P> The Spanish -- American War of 1898 added new life to the canal debate . During the war , American warships in the Atlantic seeking to reach battle zones in the Pacific had been forced to round Cape Horn . Influential naval pundits , such as Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan , urged the construction of a Central American canal . In 1902 , with the French efforts moribund , US President Theodore Roosevelt backed the Panama route , and Congress passed legislation authorizing him to purchase the French assets on the condition that an agreement was reached with Colombia . In March 1902 , Colombia set its terms for such a treaty : Colombia was to be sovereign over the canal , which would be policed by Colombians paid for by the United States . The host nation would receive a larger percentage of the tolls than provided for in earlier draft treaties . The draft terms were quickly rejected by American officials . Roosevelt was in a hurry to secure the treaty ; the Colombians , to whom the French property would revert in 1904 , were not . Negotiations dragged on into 1903 , during which time there was unrest in Panama City and Colón ; the United States sent in Marines to guard the trains . Nevertheless , in early 1903 , the United States and Colombia signed a treaty which , despite Colombia 's previous objections , gave the United States a 6 miles ( 9.7 km ) wide zone in which it could deploy troops with Colombian consent . On August 12 , 1903 , the Colombian Senate voted down the treaty 24 -- 0 . </P>
<P> The Spanish -- American War of 1898 added new life to the canal debate . During the war , American warships in the Atlantic seeking to reach battle zones in the Pacific had been forced to round Cape Horn . Influential naval pundits , such as Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan , urged the construction of a Central American canal . In 1902 , with the French efforts moribund , US President Theodore Roosevelt backed the Panama route , and Congress passed legislation authorizing him to purchase the French assets on the condition that an agreement was reached with Colombia . In March 1902 , Colombia set its terms for such a treaty : Colombia was to be sovereign over the canal , which would be policed by Colombians paid for by the United States . The host nation would receive a larger percentage of the tolls than provided for in earlier draft treaties . The draft terms were quickly rejected by American officials . Roosevelt was in a hurry to secure the treaty ; the Colombians , to whom the French property would revert in 1904 , were not . Negotiations dragged on into 1903 , during which time there was unrest in Panama City and Colón ; the United States sent in Marines to guard the trains . Nevertheless , in early 1903 , the United States and Colombia signed a treaty which , despite Colombia 's previous objections , gave the United States a 6 miles ( 9.7 km ) wide zone in which it could deploy troops with Colombian consent . On August 12 , 1903 , the Colombian Senate voted down the treaty 24 -- 0 . </P>
what nation owned the territory of panama in 1901
what nation owned the territory of panama in 1901
Colombia
Colombia