Photo of the Week

Today, the Independence Day of Panama from Columbia is celebrated. To celebrate this important day, we have three early colorized photo post cards by J. L. Maduro. The top photo is American Sailors / Marines at the Panama Railroad headquarters in Colon, ready to engage the Columbian forces to assist Panamanians to gain independence from Columbia, November 5, 1903. On the other side is the next photo below of the Columbian Soldiers in front of their barracks in Colon, November 5, 1903. At the bottom, after a basic engagement between the Panama and Columbia and with a show of strength from the U.S., the first flag or the Republic of Panama was raised at the government building. November 5, 1903

The revolution started on November 3, 1903, after the U.S. warship Nashville docked in Colón. The U.S. military presence prevented the Colombian troops in Colón from suppressing the revolt. The officials of the Panama Railroad, who were citizens of the United States, also contributed to the success of the revolt by arranging to keep all railcars in Panama City, making it impossible for Colombian troops to be transported across the isthmus. The municipal council of Panama City declared Panama’s independence the same day and called a public meeting for the next afternoon. The meeting selected a junta of three men as a provisional government. The junta provided for a constitutional convention and for presidential elections, in which Amador Guerrero was chosen as the first president. EBSCO Research