Warm-up: What does this cartoon represent?

Foreign Policy

A New Foreign Policy The Panama Canal – America needed shorter route between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – French company bought 25-year concession from Colombia to build a canal across Panama – Defeated by yellow fever and mismanagement, project abandoned – U.S. offered remaining rights for $100 million.

“Big Stick” Diplomacy & Theodore Roosevelt “Speak softly and carry a big stick” – Used by Roosevelt to guide his foreign policy – Would try to work things out but would use military as a threat to get what US wanted Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine – U.S. to act as an “international police power” Under Roosevelt, U.S. often intervened in Latin America Roosevelt wanted to preserve “Open Door Policy” with China T.R. won Nobel peace prize—Russia and Japan

Foreign Policy After T.R. William Howard Taft: Elected 1908 Dollar Diplomacy – invest in countries U.S. reached height of international power under T.R. and Taft Policies created enemies in Latin America and a growing international resentment of U.S. intervention Woodrow Wilson: U.S. applied more moral and legalistic standards to foreign policy Drew U.S. into the complex Mexican Revolution “Moral diplomacy” did not work well in Mexico U.S.-Mexican relations were strained for many years

Debating Imperialism

Anti-Imperialists Moral and political argument – Expansion was a rejection of our nation’s founding principle of “liberty for all” Racial argument – Imperialism just another form of racism Economic argument – Expansion too costly Maintaining military Laborers from other countries compete for jobs

Debating Imperialism cont’ Pro-Imperialists: new kind of frontier for U.S. expansion Keep America from losing competitive edge Access to foreign markets made economy stronger “Great White Fleet” demonstrate U.S. naval power to other countries

Imperialism Viewed from Abroad Caribbean and Central America—U.S. defending governments unpopular with local inhabitants “Yankee go home” Panamanians complained of discrimination Many countries turned to U.S. for help U.S. welcomed and rejected American government still struggles to reconcile its great power and national interests with its relationships with other countries

Activity: 1) Write a summary of the policies doing a comparison of the differences. Then pick the policy that you believe is the best policy and tell me why. 2) Write a summary of the two arguments over Imperialism and evaluate which side is more valid.