Mihir Patel

Mrs. Davis

APUSH

18 March 2013

Foreign Policy

America dealing with Asian and Latin American nations in these years were shaped by both economic and ideological considerations (Enduring Vision, 664). US policy makers wanted to expand corporate America’s access to foreign markets. Many US action’s underscored Washington’s growing determination to assert US power and protect US business interests in Latin America and Asia (666).
Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency followed European intervention in Latin America. Roosevelt denied any territorial ambitions in Latin America, and in December 1904, he stated, “Chronic wrongdoing” by any Latin American nation would justify US intervention (667). This was presumed to be the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers against meddling in Latin America. If there was wrongdoing, US could intervene.
The foreign policy of Taft focused on advancing American commercial interests, called dollar diplomacy (667). In Asia, both Roosevelt and Taft sought to project US power and advance America’s business interests. Roosevelt believed that if the Japanese won the Russo-Japanese War, it would threaten America’s position in the Philippines. In 1906, the relationship between the United States and Japan soured after the San Francisco school board, assigned all Asian children to segregated schools. Roosevelt then persuaded to reverse the policy (667).

Although Wilson had primarily been elected to reform national politics and initiate new progressive policies, he spent majority of his time as President dealing with foreign policy rather than domestic. Both Presidents before him viewed the United States as a country that needed to extend throughout the world in order to serve national interests. Wilson abandoned the imperialist policy and felt as if it was American’s duty to protect democracy and free people in other countries rather than spread it throughout the globe. Wilson spent most of his beginning years dealing with Latin American issues. He influenced Congress to repeal the 1912 Panama Canal, which exempted many