3. Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt (1901 - 1909)

"Gentlemen's Agreement"

Discrimination against Asian immigrants continued to increase on the West Coast of the US. In 1906, the San Francisco School Board had banned Japanese, Chinese, & Korean children from attending public schools with white children. This caused a great deal of anger in Japan. Roosevelt was able to negotiate an agreement with Japan to settle the issue. The SF school board would drop its segregation policy if Japan would agree to limit the number of Japanese immigrants to the US.

Overview of Roosevelt's Foreign Policy

When he became President, the US was already an empire in the making. Roosevelt wanted to increase the power and prestige of the US on the world stage and make the country a global power. He also believed that the spread of American values and ideals would have an beneficial effect on the world.

Square Deal

Name given to President Theodore Roosevelt's 3 main domestic goals for America: (1) control of corporations (2) consumer protection (3) conservation of natural resources

Overview of Roosevelt's Presidency

(1) He was originally the Vice President until the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 (2) He was known as Progressive reformer and earned a reputation as a trustbuster (3) He expanded the powers of the presidency and of the federal government in support of the public interest in conflicts between big businesses and the labor force (4) He steered the nation toward an active role in world politics (particularly in Europe & Asia).

Russo-Japanese War

A war between Russia & Japan had broken out in 1904. The following year, the US hosted a peace conference for the 2 nations. During negotiations, President Roosevelt was the one to finally convince the 2 sides to agree to a peace treaty. For this effort, Roosevelt would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Roosevelt & Conservation

As President, Roosevelt used his power to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the US Forest Service and establishing 150 national forest, 51 federal bird preserves, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments. During his presidency, he protected around 230 million acres of public land.

Panama Canal

Building a canal through Central America had been a long-standing desire for many to make travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans easier and faster. An isthmus in the Panama territory provided the most likely route for digging a canal because it was the narrowest point in Central America. Roosevelt was able to manipulate events to provide American access to the land needed for the canal. Construction began in 1904, and the new Panama Canal was opened in 1914.

Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

In 1904, Roosevelt expanded upon the Monroe Doctrine. This corollary state that not only were the nations of the Western Hemisphere not open to colonization by European powers, but that the United States had the responsibility to preserve order and protect life and property in those countries. Under this policy, he said that the US was justified in exercising "international police power" to put an end to chronic unrest or wrongdoing in the Western Hemisphere. Many Latin Americans resented this new American policy.

Conservation Movement

Political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal and plant species as well as their habitats for the future.

Great White Fleet

Roosevelt had growing concerns about Japan's growing power and their efforts at gaining new territories in Asia. As a result, he commissioned the building of 16 brand new American battleships. In 1907, this fleet of ships was sent around the world on a "good will cruise." However, the primary goal with this action was to demonstrate America's increased military power to other world powers.

Platt Amendment

The Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American War gave Cuba independence from Spain. However, with this island being so close to the American mainland, the US government required Cuba to place this amendment into their new national constitution. The Platt Amendment: (1) prevented Cuba from signing a treaty with a foreign nation with US approval (2) required Cuba to lease land on the island to the US for naval stations.

"Big Stick" Diplomacy

This was the basis for most of Roosevelt's foreign policy decisions (particularly in the Caribbean & Latin America) and was based on his statement that one should "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." He felt that peaceful negotiations should be used when dealing with foreign powers unless it proved necessary to use military force.

Monroe Doctrine

US foreign policy established by President James Monroe on 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with regions/countries in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring US intervention.