1. America in the Caribbean
Puerto rico
Cuba
Panama Canal

2. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean
It became an American possession after the Spanish American War
In 1900 The U.S. government established a civil government picked by the President for Puerto Rico

3. Cuba Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean
Congress agreed not to annex Cuba prior to the Spanish American War
Cuba is a protectorate under the U.S.
Platt Amendment allowed U.S. to intervene in Cuban affairs at anytime until 1930’s

4. Panama Canal
During the Spanish American War , warships had to travel 16,000 miles around the tip of South America to reach the Caribbean.
This highlighted a need for a canal between Central and South America

5. Panama Canal Panama at that point was part of Columbia
To gain access and build a canal, Theodore Roosevelt supported the Panama rebels to gain access to this region
The U.S. will recognize Panama as an independent country and as a result Panama will give the U.S. complete control of a 10 mile strip of rainforest known as the Panama Canal Zone

6. Caribbean as an American Lake
In 1904 Roosevelt issued the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine that states the U.S. will intervene in Latin American and European Affairs and that the U.S. will be the police of the western hemisphere

7. Taft and Dollar Diplomacy
President Taft encouraged bankers to invest in Caribbean economic factors
His use of American investment to promote American foreign policy goals became know as dollar diplomacy
If Latin American countries could not pay their loans on time, U.S. troops were sent in to make sure the loans were paid. Ex: U.S. marines

8. Wilson’s Latin American Policy
Woodrow Wilson tried to be the calm president and not a bully like Taft and Roosevelt, but this attempt will fail
Wilson will send in troops into Nicaragua, Haiti, and Dominican Republic to protect U.S. economic interests

9. Wilson and Pancho Villa
When Wilson becomes President, Mexico went through a revolution
Wilson refused to recognize this revolution because it seized power through violence
When rebel leader Pancho Villa murdered Americans in New Mexico, Wilson reacted
Wilson sent troops under the leadership of John J. Pershing to apprehend Villa
Villa escaped and Wilson withdrew his troops in 1917 when America entered into WWI