Handing control of the Panama Canal from the U.S. over to the Central American country was one of President Jimmy Carter's most controversial, and most overshadowed, foreign policy achievements.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Sunday, often regarded the U.S. transfer of control of the Panama Canal to Panama as one of the defining moments of his presidency.

Handing control of the Panama Canal from the U.S. over to the Central American country was one of President Jimmy Carter's most controversial, and most overshadowed, foreign policy achievements.

To return the canal to Panama, President Jimmy Carter worked to change minds and build a bipartisan coalition that put aside short-term political considerations.

There were many reasons that Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980. The Panama Canal Treaty wasn’t among them.