The Nicaragua Canal

At first, Managua may seem like another beautiful city in Central America, but its past reveals that there is a little more to it. Managua was not originally the capital of Nicaragua, but in order to resolve a dispute between two warring cities in Spain- the country who had colonized Nicaragua at the time. The city center was destroyed by both an earthquake and a wildfire and was only partially rebuilt, leading to Managua being spread out geographically. In two periods of disorder in the early 1900’s, Nicaragua was under the control of Spain, and any resistance was crushed.(McCarthy, 456)

Nicaragua is very unique in many different ways! It’s located near the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Honduras and Costa Rica border this country. “Nicaragua’s land of beaches is lapped by sparkling seawater, deep forests, long winding rivers, colonial cities, ancient sites thousands of years old, and a huge freshwater lake- the only lake in the world with sharks in it” (Shields 9). This country includes beautiful landscapes, mild climate, republic form of government, low finances, distinctive culture, and many interesting facts.

Nicaragua is surrounded by its beautiful nature including its incredible history. The name ‘Nicaragua’ came from a chief named Nicarao. He was chief to a digenous tribe that settled in Lake Nicaragua around late 1400’s and early 1500’s. In 1524 Hernandez de Cordoda was the first Spanish settler to live in the region of Granada on Lake Nicaragua and Leon Managua. Nicaragua gained its independents from Spain in 1821, making the country part of the Mexican Empire and becoming a member of independent Central American. Nicaragua became an independent republic.

n the 1800’s a lot of people from Europe started to come into Nicaragua. Also families from Belgium, Spain, Italy, and Germany moved to Nicaragua to set up their own businesses to do with money. They established coffee businesses, newspapers, hotels and banks. The U.S. government negotiated with President Jose Santos Zelaya to get land so their would be a canal through Nicaragua in the late 1800’s. The minister of Nicaragua, Luis Felipe Corea, went to Washington and wrote a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State John Hay addressing the needed support of a canal by the Zelaya government. The Zanchez-Merry Treaty was signed with Nicaragua regarding the canal through Columbia but fell through because it was rejected by John Hay. The Spooner Act,

Theodore Roosevelt wanted to begin construction of the Panama canal before the campaigning of 1904. The treaty and $100 million offered to Colombia for the land for the canal was rejected by the Colombian government. Roosevelt was a man with short temper and the mentality that he was always right so he decided to take action and began with the killing of Chinese man and a donkey. Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty fifteen days later and the Panama was purchased by the U.S. for $15 million. To many people it seemed as though Roosevelt was actively trying to take away canal from colombia but that was not true. Construction began in 1904 and was finished ten years later in 1914 with the total cost of $400 million to build. Latin American nations were having hard time paying debts so countries such as Britain and Germany decided to send a force to South America to force them to pay. Theodore Roosevelt did not like this so he created the Roosevelt Corollary to keep the Monroe Doctrine together. This said that no other country could “bully” Latin America except the U.S. and Latin America felt Uncle Sam was being

This was Theodore Roosevelt's first act as president. The Panama Canal was a project that would have a canal built to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean and be used in international trading. The British and the French have both thought about and attempted this before and now the United States would try. The canal was supposed to travel through the Nicaragua, but Roosevelt wanted the canal to travel across the Isthmus Mountains because he thought the larger ships would not fit through the Nicaragua. So, he attempted to sign a treaty with Columbia but was rejected by the Colombian senate. Roosevelt decided to plan with Philippe Bunau-Varilla who represented the French Panama Canal Company. His plan was to have panama revolt against columbia. On November 3, 1903 the revolution was announced and now considered panama independent. Roosevelt was able to get the treaty signed by Panama on November 18 that would allow the United States to build the canal. “When it was completed in 1913 at a cost of $387 million, the canal represented one of the most expensive construction projects ever undertaken” (Linn, Charles). Although the canal was not finished until 1913, Theodore Roosevelt still considered it the greatest achievement of his

A treaty between the US and the United Kingdom to rebuild the Nicaragua canal that would connect the pacific ocean to the atlantic. It required both the US and UK to use the canal to an unfair advantage. It also said neither party could attempt to occupy Nicaragua, Costa Rica, or any other part of Central America.

The history between the U.S. and Nicaragua has always been aimed at making sure there politically ideologies remain in line with our own. With the spread of communism, the U.S. had been involved in Nicaragua since 1912. The U.S. has acted as Big Brother and used military force when pro U.S. leaders were facing rebellion. Unfortunately in 1936 when the U.S. began training the Nicaraguan National Guard, there was a forceful takeover by a man named Somoza Garcia. The era of rule under the leadership and guidance of Garcia lasted for 43 years until a group known as the “FSLN” which stands for the Sandinista National Liberation Front was created which was essentially anti Somoza Garcia. The FSLN was a communist group which wanted to make Nicaragua a socialist state. Ultimately the group took control of the country and committed numerous human rights violations and also stole foreign aid for themselves. So with this takeover began a very rocky and difficult relationship with the U.S.

Nicaragua is the largest Central American country and was settled in as a Spanish colony back in the 1520's. In 1522 Spanish explorer Gil Gonzalez de Avila named the colony "Nicaragua" after an Amerindian chief named Nicarao who once ruled the area, making Nicaragua have Spanish and Indian cultures. Back in 1523-24 Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba officially completed his exploration of Nicaragua. In 1838 Nicaragua fully gained its independence from Spain. William Walker assumed presidency over the country in 1856, and had seeked U.S. annexation as well as sanctioning slavery. General Jose Santos Zelaya was Nicaragua's first dictator that took power in 1893. National hero Cesar Augusto Sandino starts a rebellion against US occupiers and other

Whether it is the Spanish governor Pedrarias versus the Indian chieftain Diriangen or the Somoza family versus Sandinista leaders, it is always a fight for freedom or dictatorship. The anti-Americanism of some Nicaraguans also spans back centuries, and it is at least partially justified. From William Walker’s conquest and presidency to America “stealing” the Panama Canal, and the later betrayal of Roosevelt and Nixon, there was plenty of reasons to harbor resentment for Americans. Sandino, the hero who fought the U.S. and inspired the Sandinista revolution, once told an American reporter, “Tell your people that there might be bandits in Nicaragua but that they are not necessarily

“The people of Nicaragua were suffering oppression. This made us develop an awareness which eventually led us to commit ourselves to the struggle against the domination of the capitalists of our country in collusion with the United States government.” (Daniel Ortega 1974) As has been discussed throughout the semester thus far many countries throughout Latin America have experienced a political revolution in some way, shape, or form. In the early 1970’s Nicaragua joined the long list of Latin American countries to experience a revolution when the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSLN) lead by Daniel Ortega successfully overthrew the Somoza dynasty. Many people often times have a misconception of what exactly a political revolution

It is interesting to see how Americans saw themselves and their capitalistic system during the early 1900s. The American quest to civilize the world with plans like the Panama Canal was referred to as a gift, a selfless act from the United States for the betterment of mankind (Herring 2008, 337). I am certain that the Panama Canal created many opportunities for the people in Central America, but was it in fact a sign of American kindness or was that canal done because it increased trade, income, and improved security in the United States? Furthermore, how wrong was Norman Angell? His theory did not hold for more than four years. Mankind is incapable of achieving peace and will continue to live in a constant state of struggle. Additionally, the early 1900s had a resemblance to the Cold War that started four decades later. The Russians and the British encircled Germany and contained her, and yet Stalin was surprise when the allies did the same to him after WWII?

The United States has been involved with funding and aiding Nicaragua in many different situations though the years after the Somoza assassination. From the devastating earthquake, to rebel Contra groups, the American government has tried relentlessly to spread capitalism in Nicaragua. The FSLN overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979, ending the Somoza dynasty, and established a revolutionary government in its place. Following their seizure of power, the Sandinistas have been successfully in control of the Nicaraguan government since 1979.

In 1903, the United states under President Theodore Roosevelt signed a treaty with Panama which gave over the rights to build and control the passage through what we now know as the famous Panama Canal, with the purpose of creating a politically, economically and geographically significant waterway that would allow for the travel of ships from the

The US marine occupation began in 1912 and continued to 1925, ended, and then occurred again from 1926 till 1933. During this time period, there were a variety of reasons for the US occupation of Nicaragua. The most prominent reason seemed to be the geography of Nicaragua. Holding Nicaragua gave the United States an area that would allow, first of all, US influence over more of Central America, as Nicaragua is right in the middle of Central America, and, second of all, it was seen as an area suitable for a transoceanic waterway . Since Nicaragua borders both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, a canal connecting the two would be fairly feasible. The existence of this canal could bring great profits to US investors and US companies. This US occupation eventually led to the creation of the Nicaraguan National Guard.