No. 10 Teddy Roosevelt - Panama
Dates: November 14-17, 1906 Subtltey was never one of Teddy Roosevelt's strong suits. Much like everything else involving the 26th President of the United States, Roosevelt's groundbreaking trip to the Panama Canal was full of showmanship and grandiose photo ops. After helping the Panamanians separate from Colombia, TR went on to buy out France's stake in the territory in 1904. Later that same year, President Roosevelt would make his historic trip south to oversee the construction of what would be a vital trade route in the hemisphere. Unlike presidential visits today - usually a mix of pomp, pageantry, and a lot of talk - TR used the trip as a way to demonstrate his own gritty work ethic. Writing on the trip to his son Kermit, Roosevelt boasted that "for two days there [were] uninterrupted tropic rains without a glimpse of the sun, and the Chagres River rose in a flood, higher than any for fifteen years; so that we saw the climate at its worst. It was just what I desired to do."
