Afro-Panamanian
In 1904 when the construction of the Panama Canal was taken over by the United States for the failure of the French company, will again resort to the West Indian worker. Although between 1904 and 1914 the vast majority of Afro-West Indians who arrived in Panama did a one-year contract with the idea of returning to their home islands once the offshore project, after construction of the canal many Afro-Antillean stayed in Panama. Afro-West Indians who remained in Panama many got jobs in the Canal Zone and became the largest immigrant group in Panama. On the subject of Afro-Antillean Panama, Leslie B. Rout said that when the canal was opened in 1914, some 20,000 African-West Indians remained in Panama.
María de la Ossa de Amador
When the French company that owned the rights to build the Panama Canal went bankrupt, the United States bought the rights to build the canal in 1902. Contentious negotiations with Colombia led the United States to back the separatist movement in Panama, believing that negotiations would be more favorable to American interests from a small, weak newly developing state. To that end, Amador traveled to New York in September 1903 to work out how the United States was willing to support their separation movement. He returned to Panama to put plans in motion and asked his son, Manuel Encarnación to design the flag for the new nation. The design was completed on 1 November and de la Ossa and her sister-in-law Angélica Bergamonta de la Ossa, Jerónimo's wife, purchased the blue, red, and white fabrics from three different warehouses in Panama City, so as not to arouse suspicion. Having secured sufficient fabric to make two flags, the women worked through the night on 2 November using a portable sewing machine to complete the flag. A third, smaller flag was made of the fabric remnants by María Emilia, Angélica's daughter and the women were assisted by de la Ossa's domestic helper, Águeda.