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William Howard Taft’s inaugural address, delivered Thursday, March 4th, 1909, is the second-longest inaugural address delivered by a U.S. President. Taft, who also later became Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, addresses a variety of issues such as the protection of U.S. business interests abroad, tariffs and protectionism, Asian immigration, the right to vote of negroes, and labour disputes. The continuation of the legacy of his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, regarding anti-trust measures, labour safety legislation, and the Open Door policy is an important theme of Taft’s speech. The speech is an example of what has become known as Taft’s “Dollar Diplomacy” foreign policy, although Taft does not use that expression within his speech. …show more content…
He also proposes “a higher or maximum tariff against those countries whose trade policy toward us equitably requires such discrimination” as a means to force protectionist countries to open up or face higher U.S. tariffs. Acknowledging that the revision of the Dingley Act is the responsibility of Congress, Taft states that he sees it as such a priority that to “secure the needed speed in the passage of the tariff bill, it would seem wise to attempt no other legislation at the extra session.” The revision of tariffs also seeks to increase revenue for the federal government since, as Taft says, “the prime motive is taxation and the securing …show more content…
. .].” He then specifically refers to the Monroe Doctrine and asserts the need to for an army capable of resisting “all probable invasion from abroad and to furnish a respectable expeditionary force if necessary in the maintenance of our traditional American policy which bears the name of President Monroe.” Further, he raises the importance of the navy in promoting American interests abroad by alluding to Theodore Roosevelt’s use of naval ships to project American military dominance worldwide. This reflects a concern with the preservation of the Open Door policy through military threat and the importance given to the views of naval theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan. The following excerpt highlights this
Disapproval, the Confederacy, and slavery were amongst the many crises Abraham Lincoln faced when addressing his First Inaugural speech (Lincoln, First Inaugural, p.37). Above all, Lincoln’s speech was stepping on the boundaries of the southern slave states. Once states began to secede, new territories formed and the disapproval of Lincoln grew. Despite Lincoln’s attempts of unifying the antislavery and confederate views, many whites refused to follow his untraditional beliefs. Lincoln encountered hostile and admirable emotions from the people of the Union and the Confederacy. However, despite his representation of the Union, not everyone agreed with his views.
Throughout the 20th century, successive presidents pursued foreign policy in different ways but with one objective and that is to make America the most powerful nation on earth. Despite the challenges of each administration during this century, presidents found a way to put American at the frontline as the undisputed super power. President Taft pursued an aggressive foreign policy by introducing dollar diplomacy which was meant to encourage U.S. investments in the Latin America and the Caribbean. He used government officials to promote this policy in hope that it will create markets for American products in the region. President Wilson made a promise to the American people that he will focus on domestic policy agenda and rarely will his administration
The 1940 elections showed that both the Republicans and Democrats supported building up strong the navy and air forces as means of upholding the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which stated that any European colonization of North or South America would be considered an act of aggression (Document E). Although neither American party was in full favor of the involvement in the war at this time, both advocated military defense so that America would not be completely helpless in a potential international conflict. The build-up of the military for defensive shows how the US slowly moved away from an isolationist approach to foreign affairs. Roosevelt also contributed to pulling America out of isolationism by consenting to the 1940 Destroyer Deal, which promised to give Great Britain 50 destroyer vessels in exchange for British bases in North America. This, however, was done without permission from Congress (Source F). It showed America’s shifting perspective on the war. Although America was not officially in the war, its actions seemed to indicate an indirect retaliation against the Axis powers by militarily supporting the Allies. Not only was the United States building up its defense to be better prepared in case it did have to go to war, but, in addition to other policies that provided aid to Allies, such as the 1939 Cash and Carry Policy and the 1941
Travel & History.2005. “World Affairs Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine December 6, 1904.” [Available Online][cited June 20, 2008] Available from http://www.u-s-history.com/
Between 1895 and 1920, the years in which William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson reigned in the presidents, the United States struggled for not only justice at home but abroad as well. During this period policies such as Roosevelt’s Big Stick diplomacy, William Taft’s Dollar diplomacy, and Woodrow Wilson’s Moral diplomacy were all used in foreign affairs in hopes of benefit for all involved. However, it would be appropriate to say that self-interest was the most important driving factor for American policy and can be exemplified through economic, social, and political relations.
The Monroe Doctrine reflected the concerns and ambitions of a fledgling nation that was brave enough to declare its sovereignty on the world stage. The Doctrine, in stating that European powers ought not to intervene in America’s affairs, established the US as a world power, although one that had inadequate, hemispheric aspirations. However, these aspirations would extend, and in future years the Doctrine would substantiate its usefulness for interventionists, as well as protectionists. Being conceivably the most distinguishable and the most revered as regards principles of diplomacy, the doctrine’s influence on the popular imagination was so great that it described the limits of standard decisions on policy, in turn influencing the choice of preferences that US Presidents had for most of the last two centuries.
Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy as a great president, lives on today through his policies. The Panama Canal now saves ships thousands of miles, and National Parks inspire people to conserve the resources of this earth. His social justice policies keep businesses honest and force them to be fair. But like all humans he had flaws. One of his major weaknesses was he thought anyone who did not agree with him was un-American, and during World War One was suspicious of German Americans. While on state Legislature, he tried to fire a judge based on corruption because he reached a verdict Roosevelt did not agree with. But Roosevelt’s great intelligence, strength, and curiosity outweighed his flaws, and it is not surprise he is considered as one of America’s greatest presidents.
The U.S. Navy nurtured into a challenging power in the years previous to World War II, with battleship construction being revived in 1937, commencing with the USS North Carolina . It was able to add to its fleets throughout the early years of the war when the US was still not involved, growing production of vessels both large and small. In a conflict that had a number of amphibious landings, naval superiority was important in both Europe and the Pacific. The mutual resource...
It is the intention of this essay to explain the United States foreign policy behind specific doctrines. In order to realize current objectives, this paper will proceed as follows: Part 1 will define the Monroe Doctrine, Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 will concurrently explicate the Roosevelt Corollary, Good Neighbor Policy, and the Nixon Doctrine, discuss how each policy resulted in U.S. involvement in Latin American countries, describe how it was justified by the U.S. government, respectively, and finally, will bring this paper to a summation and conclusion.
Before considering Professor X’s assertion that the Roosevelt Corollary actually corrupted the Monroe Doctrine’s “benevolent intent,” it is worth considering whether or not the Monroe Docterine was as benevolent as the unnamed professor seems to suggest. Professor X considers Monroe’s 1823 Doctrine an act of benevolence, in which an increasingly dominant world power generously extends protection over its continental neighbors. Yet the Professor ignores the inherently imperialistic subtext that is contained within the Doctrine, and thus his comparison of the Monroe Doctrine to the Roosevelt Corollary omits a fundamental aspect of America’s colonialist history.
On August 31, 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt visited Osawatomie, Kansas to give a speech and participate in a memorial dedication. (Hennessy, 1910). Roosevelt had declined to run for re-election to the presidency in 1908, deciding to exit politics and go on a yearlong African safari (Ellis, 2001, p. 284). Frustrated with President Taft’s actions, Roosevelt reentered political life in 1910 (Mowry, 1939). In the Osawatomie address, Roosevelt introduced his idea for a New Nationalism. Many of the speech’s components became the bedrock of the Bull Moose campaign used by the Progressive Party in the 1912 election (Spring, 1970). In the address, Roosevelt compares the struggle for economic equality to the one for abolition of slavery fought in the Civil War. He presents a plea for government and citizens to put nation before self to address economic injustice.
As we approach the next Presidential election the topic of American foreign policy is once again in the spotlight. In this paper, I will examine four major objectives of U.S. foreign policy that have persisted throughout the twentieth century and will discuss the effect of each on our nation’s recent history, with particular focus on key leaders who espoused each objective at various times. In addition, I will relate the effects of American foreign policy objectives, with special attention to their impact on the American middle class. Most importantly, this paper will discuss America’s involvement in WWI, WWII, and the Cold War to the anticipated fulfillment of these objectives—democracy, manifest destiny, humanitarianism, and economic expansion.
Taft commented about the revision of the Dingly Act. In 1909, he called a special session to create the Payne-Aldrich Tariff that seemed to be a protectionist measure and Taft calling it, “a really good bill”. The Payne-Aldrich Tariff was the first changes to the Dingley Act in which increased rates on manufactured goods and helped the Industrial Northeast but angered the Midwest. The Intervention...
Roosevelt’s big stick diplomacy was very important in interventionist foreign policy. His stance was firmly military, no doubt influenced by his past in the US military. Big stick diplomacy was utilized to “seize unprecedented power in handling international affairs” (Shoemaker, 2012). According to Shoemaker (2012), it was Teddy Roosevelt’s interventionist policy which “subverted the Constitution” and helped transform the United States into one of the most powerful nations in the world, in the sense that it allowed the spread of American values and ideals throughout the world. Big stick diplomacy also weakened constitutional government, since it allowed the executive branch to have more sway in foreign policy (Shoemaker, 2012). The manifest destiny is an important concept to note when examining Roosevelt’s presidency. The perception was that any state which did not embrace American ideals, especially regarding freedom and democracy, was potentially a threat to national security (Shoemaker, 2012). Under the idea of big stick democracy too, Roosevelt declared that the US and not Europe, was the only nation that had authority to intervene in Latin America, and that he was acting in the Western Hemisphere’s best interests. The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe doctrine demonstrates this belief best and was later used to justify military interventions worldwide, “the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, to the exercise of an international police power” (Roosevelt, 1905 in Shoemaker, 2012). This is highlighted by the US’ intervention in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, where Congress never gave permission for Roosevelt to take over Dominica’s customs houses and enforce revenue collection, or to send military to restore order in Cuba when the
Theodore Roosevelt stepped into head of office on September 19, 1901 when President William McKinley was assassinated. He was the youngest man to become president. His motto was “speak softly but carry a big stick.” President Roosevelt would come into power offering America the square deal. He would take the power away from the industrialists as he controlled big business from the White House. He would soon become known as a TrustBuster. Roosevelt used American power for American interests and was quoted as saying, “I am an American first and last. “ Although some historians argue that Roosevelt acted like a six-year-old throughout his presidency and that he didn’t think things through, ie “he thought with his hips”, one can admire the tremendous leadership qualities that Teddy Roosevelt had. First, he was a very bold man who graduated magna cum laude from Harvard. The average citizen was aware of what a “positive, warm and tough, authoritative and funny” president that they had leading them. His leadership qualities stemmed from his time as a New York state Assembly man, a deputy sheriff, a ...