#TBT: President Carter Returns The Panama Canal

     Jimmy Carter's defining presidential legacy remains his foreign policy. From negotiating peace between Israel and Egypt to negotiating the SALT II Treaty, Carter took pride in never firing a single missile and instead leading with diplomacy. Among Carter's most impressive achievements came when he dismantled one of the few remnants of American imperialism in Latin America.

     On September 7th, 1977, he signed the Panama Canal Treaties, which returned the Panama Canal to the nation it was located in effective December 31st, 1999, at 11:59 P.M. The canal remains the most significant source of global commerce, and this landmark treaty improved life for Panamanians while improving America's global reputation.