The Banana Wars 1903

On March 23, 1903, undocumented US troops invaded in Honduras.  Their mission was to “protect the American consulate and the steamship wharf” at Puerto Cortez during a period of revolutionary activity.  During the late 19^th century, US multinationals such as the United Fruit Company, later known as Chiquita Brands International, had invested heavily in banana plantations and their supporting infrastructure.  In his book, “Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped The World”, author Peter Chapman wrote that the company was “more powerful than many nation states … a law unto itself and accustomed to regarding the [Central American national] republics as its private fiefdom.”