| In 1902 the U.S. Congress passed the Spooner Act, which authorized purchasing the assets of the French company that first attempted to build a canal across Panama, in the late 19th century. Following Panama's declared independence, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was negotiated between Panama and the United States in November 1903. The treaty satisfied conditions of the Spooner Act and created the Panama Canal Zone; it was proclaimed in February 1904. Work on the canal began in the summer of 1904, ... |