SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, 1903-1946: AN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors DeWitt, Donald L., 1938- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 13:03:44 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/287903 INFORMATION TO USERS This dissertation was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. 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The University of Arizona, Ph.D., 1972 History, modern f I ; University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan © COPYRIGHTED BY DONALD LEE DeWITT 1972 iii THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, 1903-1946: AN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY by Donald Lee DeWitt A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 7 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Donald Lee DeWj-fct entitled SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, 1903- 1946: AN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy /•Lw, 4- IkJUh-, fiU+ck Dissertation Director Date After inspection of the final copy of the dissertation, the following members of the Final Examination Committee concur in its approval and recommend its acceptance: •• %M..?g V- /a- This approval and acceptance is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination. The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. PLEASE NOTE: Some pages may have indistinct print. Filmed as received. University Microfilms, A Xerox Education Company STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: PREFACE Like the. other Latin American republics, Panama has its own corps of intellectuals. The names of Eusebio A. Morales and Jose D. Moscote may mean little to the rest of the world, but to Panamanians they are well known. The intellectual is an important person in Panama. His writings are widely read, and his role in society is respected. Consequently, intellectuals have played an important part in the development of the Republic of Panama. They have criticized the nation's faults, recommended changes, and sought reforms. While their ideas were not always original, these men were, nonetheless, responsible for a fundamental change in the nation's political philosophy. Partly due to Panama's unique geographical charac­ teristics, the role of Panamanian intellectuals in the country's development has been neglected. Any mention of Panama nearly always conjures up comments on the canal and United States involvement there. The canal and Panama are synonymous to many people, and there are even those who believe the isthmian republic to be a possession of the United States. Such misconceptions may be attributed partly to the long United States dominance of what is known as the zona del transito. but a portion of the blame must also fall upon Latin Americanists who have favored research on the iv V canal .question over the othei- aspects of the republic's history. With a few important exceptions, the majority of English language studies on Panama fall into the categories of travel literature or canal diplomacy. Panamanians have done little better. At the time of this writing, no definitive history of the republic has been published in Spanish. With an occasional exception, the majority of Panamanian authors have limited themselves either to the canal question or to pamphlet-length discussions on specific topics. Unquestionably, the canal is an important asset to Panama. But the importance of this one facet of Panama's history has created a void in studies treating the remainder of the nation's development. It is hoped that this disser­ tation, which emphasizes intellectual aspects of twentieth- century Panama, will help to end the neglect of non-canal topics. Because of the overlapping of different themes, it is impossible to treat the ideas of individual intellectuals separately in this study. Therefore, the various men and their ideas have been grouped into general categories and rough chronological periods in an effort to establish continuity, and to emphasize the progression of the concept of social justice. The account of this process does not include a year-by-year description of the political struggles involved. Instead, it is a study of the vi intellectual process by which a whole series of reform concepts were accepted by the political system and, ultimately, incorporated into the nation's constitution. It should also be noted that this dissertation deals only with the acceptance of the concept of social reforms, not the implantation of them. To determine whether or not Panama has achieved any degree of social equality would necessitate another study. Consequently, this investigation is limited to the intellectual themes involved in the acceptance of social reform as a desirable socio-political end. Hopefully, it will contribute to a better under­ standing of Panama's quest for a more equitable society. The research for this dissertation was made finan­ cially possible by a grant from the Organization of American States. I would like to thank the parent organiza­ tion in Washington, D. C. for approving the project and for providing the necessary funds. Thanks are also due to the staff of the Panama OAS office for their courteous coopera­ tion during my stay in Panama. Special thanks are also due to Dr. George A. Brubaker of The University of Arizona who initiated my interest in this topic and provided many valuable suggestions for the final draft. While in Panama, I had the opportunity to confer with Dr. Carlos M. Gasteazoro, Professor Rodrigo Miro, and Dr. Ricuarte Soler, three of Panama's leading historians. My thanks to each of them for their interest in my topic, vii and for the suggestions they gave me regarding the location of source materials. Their suggestions saved considerable time in the initial stages of my research. The staff members of the Canal Zone Library, the National Library of Panama, the National Archives of Panama, and the University of Panama Library were also most courteous and helpful. I would like to thank all of them for the privilege of using their facilities. Without their cooperation this study would not have been possible. Finally, I must thank my wife Beverly for her encouragement and for her assistance in preparing the manuscript. Because of her inquisitive interest in Latin America, and in this study in particular, she was able to provide many astute criticisms in the early stages of writing. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ix CHAPTER I. LIBERALISM AND THE RISE OF THE COMMERCIAL OLIGARCHY IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY PANAMA ... 1 II. EUSEBIO A. MORALES AND THE NEW LIBERALISM ... 33 III. THE MORALITY CRISIS 59 IV. THE PEDAGOGICAL MOVEMENT OF THE 1920's ...