Domestic And Foreign Policies During The Progressive Era

Exam Essay Four From the 1890s to 1920, the United States went through the “Progressive Era”, where the domestic and foreign policies became a priority to the government. The United States sought to extend their power and influence through an aggressive foreign policy. In order to extend American democracy and capitalism while protecting American interests and businesses, the United States adapted an “imperialistic” mindset. Under President Roosevelt, the country grew a high interest in Asia and Latin America, and our Navy saw a rapid build-up. Although our newly adapted foreign policy was “progressive” in the eyes of President Roosevelt, many other progressives believed our policies were too concerned with foreign affairs and not enough attention was focused on the domestic issues.

American industrial production vastly grew during the early 1980s, which caused the need for markets outside of the country. Roosevelt’s pursuit of Latin American interest became well known when he added his “Roosevelt Corollary” to the previous Monroe Doctrine. The “Roosevelt Corollary” stated that the United States would exercise military power and get involved in any conflict between the Latin American countries and the European powerhouse. The main idea to this was to prevent European countries from enforcing their power directly on the weaker Latin American countries. The “Roosevelt Corollary” went hand-in-hand with his famous saying, “Speak softly, but walk with a big stick” otherwise known as “Big Stick Diplomacy”. Perhaps the most “imperialistic” foreign policy implemented during this era was Roosevelt’s “Gunboat Diplomacy”, which led to the large expansion of the United States Navy battle fleet. The American battle fleet (nicknamed “Great White Fleet”) showcased its’ naval power by completing a circumnavigation of the globe in