Teddy Roosevelt's Foreign Policies Between 1897-1953

The foreign policies of William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Harry Truman differed greatly between 1897 and 1953. Firstly, McKinley passed the McKinley Tariff to encourage American manufacturing and lower the interests for loans. He was also harassed by the media to enter the war with Spain, and therefore he gave up his ideas of neutrality. Most of his foreign policies were due to the need to please his imperialism-loving voters. Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy was called big stick diplomacy and advocated for peaceful negotiations with the possible need for force. He did not use military force to break up strikes and instead held a meeting with the mining company’s leaders to negotiate a deal. Woodrow Wilson promised to handle

The McKinley Tariff put duties on imports up approximately fifty percent to encourage American manufacturing and lower the interest in loans. However, the plan backfired and the United States’ gold supply dwindled. When Cuba and the Philippines revolted against Spain, McKinley wanted to remain neutral. However, the USS Maine exploded in the Havana Harbor and war enthusiasts began calling McKinley a coward for not getting involved in the conflict. Finally, Theodore Roosevelt famously stated that the President had “no more a backbone than a chocolate eclair”. This finally triggered McKinley to go to war, and it was justified because the Cuban and Filipino people needed protection against the strong Spanish empire. Ultimately, the Spanish were wiped out by the U.S. and the Philippines demanded independence. However, McKinley needed to please the imperialism-loving voters that elected him to office. Therefore, the United States retained the Philippines so the country would not fall into the hands of economic rivals like France or

Roosevelt famously stated, “Speak softly and carry a big stick” which summarizes the foreign policy of big stick diplomacy in 1901. An example of this policy was that Roosevelt refrained from using military force to break up strike. Instead, he hosted a meeting with the mining company’s leaders to negotiate a deal. Additionally, during the creation of the Panama Canal, Colombia and France raised their prices as they had companies that oversaw construction. Rather than using military force, America triggered a revolution in Panama, causing the country to break away from Colombia. Instead of the use of military force, Roosevelt used America’s economic dominance to convince Panama to break free. Furthermore, in Venezuela, a blockade was put in place by the British and French. Roosevelt got involved in the foreign conflict and asked for the blockade to cease. He understood the importance of protecting the interests of smaller countries so they could function properly. For enforcement purposes, Roosevelt also created a naval presence near Cuba which demonstrates his big stick diplomacy as he initially requested an end to the blockade and then used the military to further control the