What Are The Differences Between Roosevelt And Wilson's Foreign Policy

Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were both innovative, progressive presidents. Many of their policies were similar, focusing on reform, destruction of monopolies and trusts, and improving conditions of the common American through policy change in Washington. However, both presidents are remembered in different lights and for vastly different reasons.

Theodore Roosevelt wanted to begin construction of the Panama canal before the campaigning of 1904. The treaty and $100 million offered to Colombia for the land for the canal was rejected by the Colombian government. Roosevelt was a man with short temper and the mentality that he was always right so he decided to take action and began with the killing of Chinese man and a donkey. Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty fifteen days later and the Panama was purchased by the U.S. for $15 million. To many people it seemed as though Roosevelt was actively trying to take away canal from colombia but that was not true. Construction began in 1904 and was finished ten years later in 1914 with the total cost of $400 million to build. Latin American nations were having hard time paying debts so countries such as Britain and Germany decided to send a force to South America to force them to pay. Theodore Roosevelt did not like this so he created the Roosevelt Corollary to keep the Monroe Doctrine together. This said that no other country could “bully” Latin America except the U.S. and Latin America felt Uncle Sam was being

Until the end of the nineteenth century, American foreign policy essentially followed the guidelines laid down by George Washington, in his Farewell Address to the American people: “The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is—in extending our commercial relations—to have with them as little political connection as possible.” By avoiding

Roosevelt felt strongly about trade throughout the world. In 1904 the Isthmus of Panama was first broken by American shovel. After months of negotiation, the Latin American government allowed the creation of the Panama Canal. The U.S. military and other volunteers did most of the work. But because of Yellow Fever and Malaria , few workers returned. In 1914 the Canal Zone was finished and for the first time the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans were flowing together.

Additionally, similar to their differing views of trusts, Wilson and Roosevelt also deviated in opinion on the issue of human rights. In document 9, W.E.B DuBois, a civil rights activist, writes a letter to Wilson expressing his disappointment about Wilson’s inaction for the rights of blacks. DuBois says that now “every enemy of the Negro race is greatly encouraged.” (Document 9). DuBois wanted to persuade the president to actually do something for African-Americans; Wilson had been president for 6 months and there was still no action to help support the rights of blacks.

Always present was the U.S. involvement in Foreign Affairs. Wilson’s missionary diplomacy was meant to teach Latin American countries about democracy, constitutionalism, and the process of a government based upon a system of laws. Instead of providing long-term stability, the result was lengthy occupations of the counties by American military forces. World War 1 was a time when the presidents

During the Civil War and the American Revolution Americans didn’t only have to deal with their national policies, they also had to deal with their international relations with the rest of the countries in the World. The relations with other countries are also known as Foreign Policies. The overseas dimensions reflected onto the Civil War and Revolution Era.

Two great men, two great presidents, led our nations to excellency and great success. Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were hard working, intelligent men who were very familiar, but were also different in many aspects. Through their dedication to our country and their passion of politics they have made our country better.

In the second year of being president, in 1902, he wanted to create a canal to assist shipment items through Panama ( back in the was a fragment of Columbia) which is called The Sonner Act. Yet there were complications because Columbia had some of controversy with their government, but as time had passed the act that lived on creating the Panama Canal. Also around this time there were Germans who were impeding with Venezuela, Teddy did his best to stop the commotion and declared the U.S. to be the only country to interact with South American affairs.

TR built the Panama Canal, first having a station in Panama and later creating the Canal for defensive access. Roosevelt also had affairs with the Japanese and the Russians, later winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and he helped disputes regarding Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. With his idea of “speak softly and carry a big stick” Roosevelt expanded the United States and their foreign relations. After Theodore Roosevelt, President Taft would adopt these ideas and he would implement the “Dollar Diplomacy,” which meant that America would infest in Latin America. Both of these presidents branched outside of the US and expanded, they started the connections to other

President Theodore Roosevelt was into helping other countries out and trying to make peace with them all. Roosevelt wanted the world to be stable. He felt that a country should be civilized and have economic development. Roosevelt also believed that if a country was civilized they had the right to interfere in matters of what he called a “backward” nation to reserve constancy and order. Roosevelt stopped Europeans countries from intruding Latin America which became known as “Roosevelt Corollary.” The Dominican Republic was one of the first chances that the Roosevelt Corollary could be used. Roosevelt created an American receivership distributing revenues to foreign creditors and taking control of Dominican duties. Cuba gained political independence in 1902 which the U.S. granted if they agreed to the Platt Amendment. This amendment allowed the United States to stop foreign countries from trying to capture the new nation.

Theodore Roosevelt divided the world into "civilized" and "uncivilized" nations. Roosevelt became extremely active in international diplomacy, more so than his predecessors. For example, he helped to negotiate a settlement of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, for this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Roosevelt declared that the Untied States did not have the slightest desire to expand territory, however, he engaged an intervention in Central America. His first major action in the region was the separation of Panama from Columbia in order to construct a canal that would link the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This idea was long before thought about in history. Since Roosevelt was an an advocate for the American naval development, he was convinced that a canal would prove to be prosperous to the movement of naval and commercial ships between the two oceans. The construction of the Panama Canal was not available until the establishment of their independence from Columbia.

Shortly following the United States rise to imperialistic power, president McKinley was assassinated on 14 September 1901. The boisterous and aggressive Vice President Theodore Roosevelt would now fill the role of President. Unlike McKinley, Roosevelt did not shy away from conflict. He was ambitious to lead the charge in expanding America’s presence with an aggressive foreign policy. Shortly following the United States rise to imperialistic power president McKinley was assassinated on 14 September 1901. The boisterous and aggressive Vice President Theodore Roosevelt would now fill the role of President. Unlike McKinley, Roosevelt did not shy away from conflict. He was ambitious to lead the charge in expanding America’s presence with an aggressive foreign policy. Part of his foreign policy measures was to control strategically sound terrain such as in the Panama Canal. By signing the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which gave the United States control over the Canal Zone, it according to Alfred Mahan, gave the U.S.,” An interior line connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific (Mahan, 232).” Thus, this allotted the U.S. greater security by taking away a key terrain from the enemy and creating their own that would make them more capable in naval offensives around the globe. In order to use this terrain to the United States’ advantage they had to once again keep relations and land intact not using all the tools in their arsenal to defeat the enemy.

When Wilson won the election from Taft Roosevelt, the Democrat party had more seats in the Congress than Republican. During the Wilson’s first inauguration, he did not address the racism problem in the country. Even thought democracy means social or political equality for all people, but Wilson extended the White Supremacy during his presidency (Dictionary.com). When Wilson made fourteen points to end the Great War, black leaders asked him to add the fifteen points to end the racial discrimination; Wilson refused it. However, the two leaders failed to end the racial discrimination, black suffered from lynching, torture, and segregation.

Benjamin O. Fordham states in his “Revisionism Reconsidered: Exports and American Intervention in World War I” that, “interdependence promotes peace, but arrives at different conclusions about the relationship between trade and conflict”. As a revisionist, he claims that prior to U.S’s intervention in WWI, the American policy’s mission are merely “avoiding entanglement in conflicts among the European Powers”. Despite the fact that President Wilson have a strong preference on implementing foreign policies that are infused with liberal ideology that can also be subject/parallel/ following the standards of international law, his grand strategy, nevertheless focused more on defense rather than offensive. His evidence indicated that “much of the American economy benefited from trade with the Allied powers”