The Mallarino–Bidlack Treaty (also known as the Bidlack Treaty and Treaty of New Granada) was a
treaty
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pe ...
signed between
New Granada (today
Colombia and
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
) and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, on December 12, 1846.
[Kellogg Institute at the University of Notre Dame, November 14, 1996]
"Towards 1999 : Highlights of an Historical Review (US-Panama Relations) in the context of an Electoral and Democratic Evolution"
by Eduardo Valdés E. U.S. minister
Benjamin Alden Bidlack negotiated the pact with New Granada's commissioner
Manuel María Mallarino.
Officially, it was entitled ''Tratado de Paz, Amistad, Navegación y Comercio'' (Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Commerce and Navigation), and was meant to represent an agreement of mutual cooperation. It granted the U.S. significant
transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
rights over the Panamanian
isthmus
An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmus ...
, as well as military powers to suppress social conflicts and independence struggles targeted against Colombia. Under the Bidlack-Mallarino Treaty, the U.S. intervened militarily many times on the isthmus, usually against civilians, peasant
guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...
, or
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
independence struggles. After the beginning of the
California Gold Rush of 1848, the U.S. spent seven years constructing a trans-isthmian
Panama Railway
The Panama Canal Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. The route stretches across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa (Pacific, near ...
. The end result of the treaty, however, was to give the United States a legal opening in politically and economically influencing the Panama isthmus, which was part of New Granada at the time, but was later to become the independent country of Panama in accordance with the wishes of the United States. In 1903, however, the United States failed to gain access to a strip on the isthmus for the construction of a canal, and reversed its position on Panamanian secession from the Republic of Colombia.
See also
*
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...
*
Latin America – United States relations
*
List of United States treaties
This is a list of treaties to which the United States has been a party or which have had direct relevance to U.S. history.
Pre-Revolutionary War treaties
Before the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the sovereign of the United ...
References
Further reading
* Bevans, Charles I. (ed.), ''Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America 1776–1949'', vol. 6 (1971), pp. 865–881.
* Findling, John E., ''Dictionary of American Diplomatic History'', 2d ed. (1989).
*
McCullough, David, ''
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870—1914'', Simon & Schuster New York 1977 Octavo, pp. 698, , (Pbk.)
*
*
External links
Peace, amity, navigation, and commerce, 1846 United States Treaties and International Agreement, compiled by Charles I. Bevans. Library of Congress.
History of Panama
Treaties of the United States
Treaties of the Republic of New Granada
1846 treaties
Colombia–United States relations
1846 in Colombia
December 1846 events
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