Mallarino-Bidlack Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Mallarino-Bidlack Treaty (also known as the Bidlack Treaty and Treaty of New Granada) was a treaty
signed between New Granada (today Colombia
and Panama
) and the United States
, on December 12, 1846. 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
rights over the Panamanian 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
, or Liberal Party
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 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.
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
signed between New Granada (today Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
) and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on December 12, 1846. U.S. minister Benjamin Alden Bidlack
Benjamin Alden Bidlack
Benjamin Alden Bidlack was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Benjamin Alden Bidlack was born in Paris, New York. He moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended the public schools...
negotiated the pact with New Granada's commissioner Manuel María Mallarino
Manuel María Mallarino
Manuel María Mallarino Ibargüen was a Colombian politician, lawyer and Member of Congress, who served as Vice-President of the New Granada, and as such he occupied the presidency of the country between 1855 and 1857....
.
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
-Transportation:* Ford Transit, a van made by the Ford Motor Company* Mass transit, public transport systems in which passengers are carried in large numbers* Navigational transit, when a navigator observes two fixed reference points in line...
rights over the Panamanian isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
, 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
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
, or Liberal Party
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
independence struggles. After the beginning of the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
of 1848, the U.S. spent seven years constructing a trans-isthmian Panama Railway
Panama Railway
The Panama Canal Railway Company is a railway line that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across Panama in Central America. It is jointly owned by the Kansas City Southern Railway and Mi-Jack Products...
. 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 CanalPanama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
- Latin America – United States relations
- List of United States treaties
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, DavidDavid McCulloughDavid Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
, The Path Between the SeasThe Path Between the SeasThe Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870—1914 is a 1977 book by noted historian David McCullough that details the people and places involved in building the Panama Canal...
: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870—1914, Simon & Schuster New York 1977 Octavo, pp. 698, ISBN 0-671-22563-4, ISBN 0-671-24409-4 (Pbk.)