1903
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The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty signed, granting the United States a strip
of land across the Isthmus of Panama and the right to build and fortify
the Panama Canal.
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1914
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The Panama Canal, a 52 mile long waterway, is completed at a cost of $352 million, remarkably under budget and under schedule.
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1938
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President Roosevelt enunciates the “Good Neighbor Policy”
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1964
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When President Lyndon Johnson is President, anti-U.S. rioting breaks out
in the Panama Canal Zone, resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and
three U.S. soldiers. These events lead to attempts to renegotiate the Canal Zone’s status.
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1977
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US and Panama negotiations for a Panama Canal Zone treaty completed in the Carter administration.
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1978
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The U.S. Senate votes 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.
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1979-1999
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The Panama Canal Commission, made up both of Americans and Panamanian
officials, prepares the Panamanians to operate and maintain the canal.
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1999
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US hands over control of the Panama Canal on December 31, 1999, ending the American Era.
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2009
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9,000 workers, mostly Panamanian, work at the Canal. They
guide about 12-15 thousand ships a year to cross the isthmus.
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