U.S. Occupies Nicaragua (1909)
Thu Nov 18, 1909
On this day in 1909, President William Howard Taft sent U.S. warships to take position against the elected government of Nicaraguan President José Santos Zelaya. Taft's administration had close relations with U.S. corporations operating in Nicaragua. Those corporations were opposed to the way Zelaya defended the economic interests of his country and the region from exploitation by U.S. businesses.
The U.S. moved to remove President Zelaya after he executed two American citizens who had conspired to commit a revolution against the government. Despite the fact that Zelaya proposed a commission made up of Mexicans and Americans come to Nicaragua to investigate the executions, promising to resign if it found him guilty of any wrongdoing, President Taft ordered warships to approach both Nicaraguan coasts and marines to assemble in Panama.
Zelaya fled the country, stating that he would "give no pretext" to American hostilities. His successor José Madríz was eventually forced to resign by the American forces, and followed Zelaya into exile. Historian Stephen Kinzer has written the following about the event:
"This was the first time the United States government had explicitly orchestrated the overthrow of a foreign leader. In Hawaii, an American diplomat had managed the revolution, but without specific instructions from Washington. In Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, American 'regime change' operations were part of a larger war. The overthrow of President Zelaya in Nicaragua was the first real American coup."
- Date: 1909-11-18
- Learn More: www.zinnedproject.org, libcom.org.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org