Download AMERICAN HISTORY POLITICAL CARTOONS Theodore Roosevelt

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CARTOON
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A M E R I C A N H I STO RY P O L I T I C A L C A RTO O N S
The Granger Collection, New York
Theodore Roosevelt and the Panama Canal
UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL CARTOONS
Study the political cartoon, and then answer the questions that follow.
HRW material copyrighted under notice appearing earlier in this work.
1. What does the flag “New Treaty” refer to?
2. What do the ships in the foreground represent?
3. What does the image of Roosevelt slinging dirt on Bogota symbolize?
ACTIVITY
Imagine that you are either in favor of or against U.S. expansion. Create a bumper sticker
that explains your position, using images from the cartoon to support your argument.
American History Political Cartoons
37
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Car toon 19: Discussion and Answers
Discussion Guide
While Americans had long adhered to the belief that it was to not exert power and control
over other nations and peoples, the enormous economic growth of the United States in
the late 1800s inspired many people to begin to think of the U.S. as a world power. This
economic imperialism encouraged U.S. business leaders to promote access to the Pacific
via a Central American canal. Supporters of military sea power also urged the U.S. government to consider the canal as an important strategic move for national security.
Under the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt, the dreams of U.S.
imperialists were given free reign. Roosevelt was fond of quoting a West African proverb,
“Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far” as his motto for pursuing his goals
of expanding United States influence in Latin America. This mode of diplomacy became
popularly known as “Big Stick” diplomacy.
Events in Panama were in Roosevelt’s favor, though. Panamanian leaders who supported the building of the canal began to plot against the Colombian government. On
November 3, 1903, the Panamanians began their revolution. While U.S. warships blocked
Colombian troops from landing in Panama, the rebels easily took over and declared
Panama an independent nation. With unusual speed the U.S. Senate ratified the
Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty on November 18, 1903, which granted the United States exclusive canal rights. Construction on the canal began in 1904 and was finished 10 years later.
Answers
UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL CARTOONS
1. the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty
2. increased sea trade; U.S. businesses desire for more global trade; also, United States
naval presence during 1903 Panamanian revolution
3. “Big Stick” diplomacy; Roosevelt’s indifference to other nation’s sovereignty
Activity
Bumper stickers in favor of expansion might include examples of the United States’s
increased economic stature, need for world trade, and the importance of a canal to U.S.
national security. Bumper stickers opposed to expansion might make a case for the
sovereignty of individual nations and a violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
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American History Political Cartoons
HRW material copyrighted under notice appearing earlier in this work.
With the passage of the Hay-Pauncefort Treaty in 1901, the British government
gave up its right to joint construction of a canal through the Isthmus of Panama and ceded
exclusive rights to the United States. In 1903, under the terms of the Hay-Herrán Treaty, the
United States offered Colombia (which then occupied Panama) $10 million and a yearly
payment of $250,000 for a 99-year lease for construction of a canal. Colombia was hesitant
to cooperate with the United States’s desire for a canal and rejected the Hay-Herrán Treaty.