Chapter 7, Section 3 New American Diplomacy
Roosevelt s Diplomacy Big Ideas: Presidents Roosevelt and Taft used a mixture of military and financial tools to expand American hegemony in Asia and Latin America.
Roosevelt s Diplomacy The election of 1900 saw William Jennings Bryan once again make a bid for the White House. McKinley chose Roosevelt as his running mate, because, thanks to the Rough Riders, he was a famous war hero. At just 42 years of age, Roosevelt became president after McKinley was murdered by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz.
Roosevelt s Diplomacy
Balancing Power in East Asia Roosevelt supported the Open Door Policy in China. In 1905 he negotiated the peace that ended the war between Japan and Russia. This earned him a Nobel Prize. Japan bristled at European influence in Asia and was embarrassed by what was happening in China.
Balancing Power in East Asia President Roosevelt strongly believed that America needed to display her strength in order to preserve peace. He famously expressed this with the phrase, Speak softly and carry a big stick. In domestic affairs he used his big stick policy to settle a dispute between mine workers and their employers.
The Panama Canal The Panama Canal was not Roosevelt s idea. It was common sense that a path across Central America would save time and money compared to having to travel around the South American Continent. The French had tried to build the canal and given up due to economic troubles and problems with diseases killing off the workers.
The Panama Canal The US and Great Britain agreed to the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty that gave the US exclusive rights to build a canal in Central America. The US wanted to dig the canal through Columbia s state of Panama (the French agreed to sell them their rights to the land). Columbia did not want to give the US a foothold in their country not even for $10 million upfront and $250k a year afterwards. They wanted $25 million.
The Panama Canal The citizens of Panama were opposed to Columbian rule and the potential loss of the canal brought their displeasure to the boiling point. The US made arrangements for an uprising to occur in Panama, and T.R. stationed warships off the coast of Columbia as a warning. The US recognized the new government of Panama and gave them the same deal as was offered to Columbia.
The Roosevelt Corollary Roosevelt expanded US involvement in Latin America through what came to be known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The corollary declared that the US would intervene to maintain economic and political stability in the Western Hemisphere. Roosevelt was worried that Europeans would use Latin American debt as an excuse to intervene in the region.
Dollar Diplomacy President Taft continued Roosevelt s policies in Latin America, but focused more on improving Latin American development. Taft believed that if Latin American countries could be raised out of poverty, all in the region would benefit. This became known as dollar diplomacy. During this period American banks took over debts that Honduras owed to Britain and took control of Haiti s national bank.
Woodrow Wilson s Diplomacy in Mexico After General Victoriano Huerta killed Mexico s ruler Porfirio Diaz in a military coup, President Wilson refused to recognize Huerta as the new leader of Mexico. Wilson had the Navy intercept shipments of weapons being sent to Mexico to arm Huerta s soldiers. He also allowed Americans to send weapons and supplies to Huerta s enemies in Mexico.
Woodrow Wilson s Diplomacy in Mexico European weapons were still making their way to Huerta, so Wilson had the US Navy fire on the Mexican port of Veracruz and then landed marines to seize the city. Wilson expected the Mexican citizens to be thankful, but instead they held anti-american riots. Eventually Huerta was overthrown and, Venustiano Carranza, an ally of the US, became President of Mexico.
Woodrow Wilson s Diplomacy in Mexico Mexicans didn t like Venustiano Carranza any more than they liked Madero or Huerta, so they began making raids across the US-Mexico border hoping to force President Wilson to intervene. In 1916, after Pacho Villa and his men attacked a N.M. town and killed 16 Americans, Wilson sent General Pershing along with 6000 troops to capture Villa. He was unsuccessful.
Woodrow Wilson s Diplomacy in Mexico The outside world viewed Wilson s policy in Mexico as militaristic and overly aggressive. Wilson also used the military to exert American influence in Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.