Download B. The Roosevelt Corollary (Teddy`s foreign policy)

CHAPTER 19
Safe For Democracy: The United States And World War I, 1916-1920
I.
An Era of Intervention - In what ways did Progressive Presidents promote the expansion of
American power overseas?
1. the Progressive Presidents were not reluctant to project US power
2. US in Caribbean over 20X from 1901-1920
3. Motivation was most often to protect bankers and investors
A. "I Took the Canal Zone"
1. Roosevelt was more active in international diplomacy than most of his predecessors (the
Presidents before him).
1. “speak softly and carry a big stick” (cartoon p. 579)
2. Roosevelt pursued a policy of intervention in Central America.
a. Panama 1903 - (map 578) - Roosevelt help create an uprising of Panamanians
against Colombia in order to get the Canal built (Panama was part of Colombia)
1. Canal belonged to US (until 2000) - was a point of tension
B. The Roosevelt Corollary (Teddy’s foreign policy)
1. The above argued that the United States had the right to exercise "an international police
power" in the Western Hemisphere.
a. Dominican Republic 1904 - to force payment of debts to investors
b. Cuba 1906-9 - to oversee a disputed election
2. President William Howard Taft (after Teddy) emphasized economic investment and loans
from American banks, rather than direct military intervention.
a. Known as Dollar Diplomacy
C. Moral Imperialism
1. Wilson promised a new foreign policy that would respect Latin America's independence, yet
felt he had an obligation to teach democracy to other nations
2. Wilson's moral imperialism produced more military interventions in Latin America than any
president before or since.
a. 1916 - established a military gov. in Dominican Republic with strong US
control (US remained until 1924)
i. And in Haiti until 1934
b. THE PARADOX - these Progressive President spoke plenty about freedom,
but were very quick to intervene in the affairs of other nations
D. Wilson and Mexico
1. The Mexican Revolution began in 1911. (was led by Francisco Madera, who overthrow Porfirio
Diaz)
a. 2 years later, US gov. officials (Wilson didn’t know) and US companies
backed the assassination of Madero, and the assassin seized power
(Victoriano Huerta) - Wilson was appalled - so he intervened to “teach”
democracy
2. When civil war broke out in Mexico, Wilson ordered American troops to land at Vera Cruz to
stop weapons meant for Huerta
a. Mexicans greeted the marines as invaders rather than as liberators.
b. 1916 - The war spilled into US - Pancho Villa (Mexican revolutionary against Huerta)
killed Americans in New Mexico