Theodore Roosevelt Essay
Theodore Roosevelt had many philosophies for handling major events and foreign policies like building strategic structures like the Panama Canal and by making peace in other countries that were at war or were at a disagreement. He went to “less civilized” countries in an attempt to make peace and protect the world. What Roosevelt meant by less civilized was non-white, Latin, or Slavic countries. “He believed that a civilized nation had the right and duty to intervene in the affairs of uncivilized nation to preserve order and stability.” (Brinkley, 603) Not only was this policy about racism but also about the economic development. Going overseas meant that the president could act freely and openly with less regard to Congress or the courts. Roosevelt could act without public opinion and could exercise power alone. Before anyone thought about getting involved in foreign affairs or had any interest, Roosevelt believed that involvement would help in development of American sea power.
An example of one of his foreign policies was the attempt to make peace in between Russia and Japan. He wanted to prevent both countries from being dominant in a province of china which both hoped to control. Roosevelt agreed to a Japanese request to mediate conflict. Russia did as well in 1905. Making peace is what had wanted to accomplish in getting involved in foreign affairs. He had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his work in ending the Russo-Japanese war. Another example was the construction of the Panama Canal, which linked the Atlantic and the Pacific. Politicians wanted to build it in a more developed nation but building it in Panama would save the U.S. millions of dollars. Panama was still a province of Columbia and they demanded more money from the U.S. Roosevelt was furious and helped organize and finance a revolution in Panama. The presence of U.S. troops stopped Columbian forces and Roosevelt made Panama an independent country. “The Panama canal was an enormous
An example of one of his foreign policies was the attempt to make peace in between Russia and Japan. He wanted to prevent both countries from being dominant in a province of china which both hoped to control. Roosevelt agreed to a Japanese request to mediate conflict. Russia did as well in 1905. Making peace is what had wanted to accomplish in getting involved in foreign affairs. He had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his work in ending the Russo-Japanese war. Another example was the construction of the Panama Canal, which linked the Atlantic and the Pacific. Politicians wanted to build it in a more developed nation but building it in Panama would save the U.S. millions of dollars. Panama was still a province of Columbia and they demanded more money from the U.S. Roosevelt was furious and helped organize and finance a revolution in Panama. The presence of U.S. troops stopped Columbian forces and Roosevelt made Panama an independent country. “The Panama canal was an enormous
Cited: Brinkley, Alan. "America And The Great War." American History: Connecting with the Past. 14th ed. Vol. 2. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 603-07. Print. "Miller Center." Miller Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2012. <http://millercenter.org/>. "United States American History." United States American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2012. <http://www.u-s-history.com/>.